I was recently cited for a "Failure to Obey Traffic Control Device" for going over the speed limit on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in PA. The PA State Trooper who pulled me over noted this is NOT a speeding violation, however I have a question. Will this violation give points on my license and will it raise my insurance premiums by appearing on my driving record? Furthermore, is the idea of "reverse clocking" a legitimate way to ascertain speed? Reverse clocking being where a patrol car, ahead of the cited vehicle, speeds up and, if the cited car catches up to or overtakes the patrol car, is assumed to have been speeding equal to or in excess of the patrol car. How arguable is this tactic in a court of law? Thanks in advance for your time and attention!

From everything we have read about being cited for failure to obey a traffic control device in Pennsylvania, it is a way for a law enforcement officer to give a motorist a break and hand out a ticket that comes without points associated with it. In Pennsylvania, as in most states police officers have a degree of latitude when issuing citations for traffic violations.

Failure to obey a traffic control device is under Section 3111 of the PA Vehicle Code. The term "traffic control device" could include traffic lights, stop signs, warning signals, yield signs, speed limit signs, etc. Section 3111 appears to carry a fine amount but carries no points. There are separate sections of the Vehicle Code that deal with speeding, disobeying a stop sign, etc which do carry points.

This moving violation will still show up on your driving record even if points are not assessed thus your insurance company could see it the next time they pulled your MVR. Whether it will affect your rates or not will be up to the rating system of your insurance company.

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We are not lawyers in the arena of beating speeding tickets so we could not tell you the legality of "reverse clocking" however it sounds very similar to a police officer pacing you to determine your speed. "Pacing" is when a police officer follows you and checks your speed by looking at his speedometer. We have always read that pacing is one of the hardest kinds to beat since the trooper or police officer will testify in court to the speed that his vehicle was doing, there is not any radar or laser that would need to calibrated or operated by the officer.

If you wanted to find out if it is possible to beat a reverse clocking ticket in court then try contacting a lawyer that helps motorists with their traffic tickets and knows Pennsylvania laws.

If your rates are raised due to this moving violation citation you can shop around for inexpensive car insurance here with us.