Unknown and scared in PA

[introuble]

What is the name of your state? PA

Ok, I'm 18 and was driving with three friends at midnight. No one was on the road and i pulled a uturn, reversed a bit to see who some kids were, then drove away (some tire burn).

I see flashing lights in my rearview and pullover. Cop comes up takes my stuff and asks me if i was driving to impress my friends. I responded with a "yes, sir".

He goes to his car, comes back 5mins later and says "i'm mailing you a citation" then he leaves. That was it, no fuss.

I have no clue how much of the incident he witnessed, as I dont know where he came from.

How much trouble am I in? What could he cite me for and what are the penalities? Will I get my license suspended? Could I go to jail (wouldnt he say how serious it was?) Will I need to go to court? Will my insurance go up(thereby notifiying my parents?)
Should i tell my parents or can I handle this as an adult?

This is my first ever offense and I'm very scared.

thanks

[lwpat]

How much trouble am I in? What could he cite me for and what are the penalities? Will I get my license suspended? Could I go to jail (wouldnt he say how serious it was?) Will I need to go to court? Will my insurance go up(thereby notifiying my parents?)

You won't know until you get the ticket. Actually this procedure is very unusual unless he received another call and did not have time to write out the citation. In some states mailing a ticket is not allowed but you will have to talk to an attorney on that point.

[introuble]

I htought so, wouldn't I have to sign it on the spot to acknowledge what I did? Could this be only a warning?

[Some Random Guy]

Signing the ticket acknowledges that you got the ticket, not that you did what it says on the ticket. That's why the police can demand that you sign the ticket.

[introuble]

what are the possible outcomes of this?

[sukharev]

Originally Posted by introuble

what are the possible outcomes of this?

over $100 in fines (100% probability)
large insurance hike (100% probability)
canceled insurance (1% probability)
suspended licence (1% probability)
jail time (0% probability)

Hope I did not miss anything
You will likely have to go to court, unless you want to take an option of pleading guilty by mailing the fine (ON TIME!)

[introuble]

should i go to court or should i just pay the fines?

why didnt he give me the ticket then, is that grounds for anything?

considering my insurance would go up, would that automatically alert my parents? what it say why it went up on the statement?

how quickly will he mail the citation (is there a maximum allowed time period)

[sukharev]

Q: should i go to court or should i just pay the fines?
A: You should always go to court, and have a chance of reduced fine or dismissed ticket (if you are a good driver and the ticket is minor)

Q: why didnt he give me the ticket then, is that grounds for anything?
A: it's grounds for nothing, and ticket can be mailed or handed in person.

Q: considering my insurance would go up, would that automatically alert my parents? what it say why it went up on the statement?
A: You will get a notice/bill in mail. It would state that a driver on policy has a new violation on his record, and the rate is adjusted accordingly (probably would say AMOUNT DUE IMMEDIATELY). FYI, you don't have an option of not paying the increase, and it is indeed due immediately. If your parents look at the statement, they will know who that is. If I were you, I would definitely tell your parents now (bearing the rightful anger), and ask for advice from them also. After all, you are 18 and should be responsible for your actions.

Q: how quickly will he mail the citation (is there a maximum allowed time period)
A: Probably couple of weeks, but you can call PD to find out. Don't worry, they would not change the citation for that, and inquiring is perfectly normal. Just be polite and ask for information.

[introuble]

any more suggestions? i really want to keep this from my parents, it's just not worth the crap i will face...

any possibility the cop just wont send the ticket..?

what exactly is the deal with insurance? can i pay the "immideately required" fee on my own and be done with it?

[introuble]

What if the cop doesnt show up to court?
Does that happen often?

[sukharev]

Look, this is not as bad as you paint it to be. Unless there is more to your story, just tell your parents what happened, and that you do realize it was stupid show-off. Also tell them you will take care of it yourself, and it would not affect their part of insurance (if that's really thecase). That's what you are expected to start doing at 18.

[Heather2]

I'm not sure if you can do it with this offense (does anybody else know) but you may be able to get deferred adjudication (it won't be on your record) or take defensive driving. That will help with your insurance problem. When you receive the citation it should have instructions for those on the back.

[sukharev]

Originally Posted by Heather2

I'm not sure if you can do it with this offense (does anybody else know) but you may be able to get deferred adjudication (it won't be on your record) or take defensive driving. That will help with your insurance problem. When you receive the citation it should have instructions for those on the back.

Don't think those are an option in PA. Driver improvement course may be available, but not as a standard way out.

[introuble]

thanks for your help, i'm anxiously waiting for the citation, hopefully he wont cite me for all the things i did (uturn + reverse + tire burn(is that illegal?). luckily he stopped me before i started speeding

well- it was a major wake up call and completely changed my driving(i've only been driving for 4monthes). so at least it's not all bad.

[Heather2]

Originally Posted by sukharev

Don't think those are an option in PA. Driver improvement course may be available, but not as a standard way out.

I guess Texans have it easy.