The Pennsylvania Senate passed Senate Bill 607 on Tuesday, which would allow local municipal police to use radar to detect drivers’ speed. Pennsylvania is currently the only state that does not allow this procedure already. Right now only state police are allowed to use radar to clock your speed.
According to the bill, police officers must complete a training course approved by the Pennsylvania State Police before using radar technology. The technology also must be tested at least once a year. Warning signs must be posted to inform drivers that police in the municipality use radar. Radar also cannot be used to clock drivers within 500 feet of a sign showing a decrease in speed limit, with exceptions for school zones and work zones. Additionally, the bill only allows municipalities to keep twenty percent of their total budget in revenue from tickets obtained through radar, the excess going to the Department of Revenue.
The bill moves onto the Pennsylvania House for a vote. If passed and signed into law, police can only issue warnings for the first 90 days after the law takes effect, not fines. Contact us today if you have a question regarding a ticket you received. For more information on possible defenses for a speeding ticket, see our previous post.
Or contact me privately:
steve@fairlielaw.com
(215) 997–1000