1. PAYING FINE.
The prosecutor's office will not reduce the speed from the speed written by the officer.
SPEEDING ON INTERSTATE I-55
A Defendant going 90 or less on the Interstate may plead guilty by mail by signing the back of the ticket and sending the appropriate payment as indicated on the fee sheet. The payment covers both the fine and court costs.
A Defendant going over 90 on the Interstate will need to appear personally in Court. The punishment will be up to the Court and will depend upon the facts of the case.
FEE SHEET FOR SPEEDING ON I-55:
FINE & COSTS FINE & COSTS
MPH COMMERCIAL VEHICLE ALL OTHER VEHICLES
71-75 $100.00 $70.00
76-79 $120.00 $90.00
80-84 $180.00 $115.00
85-89 $225.00 $150.00
90 or More 90 MPH or more must appear in court.
SPEEDING ON SECONDARY ROADS
A Defendant going 85 or less on a secondary road may plead guilty by mail by signing the back of the ticket and sending the appropriate payment as indicated on the fee sheet.
A Defendant going over 85 on a secondary road will need to appear personally in Court. The punishment will be up to the Court and will depend upon the facts of the case.
FEE SHEET FOR SPEEDING ON SECONDARY ROADS:
MILES FINE & COSTS FINE & COSTS
OVER LIMIT COMMERCIAL VEHICLE ALL OTHER VEHICLES
1-5 $75.00 $70.00
6-10 $90.00 $75.00
11-15 $125.00 $100.00
16-20 $185.00 $125.00
21-25 $235.00 $165.00
26-30 $290.00 $210.00
30 or More For all speeds 30 miles per hour over
the posted speed limit the violator must
personally appear in court.
MISCELLANEOUS
A commercial vehicle is one whose gross weight exceeds 12,000 pounds. Court costs of $44.50 in each case are included within the totals given above. For all speed violations occurring in a construction zone, an additional $35.00 must be added to the amounts shown above. Pursuant to a state law effective July 1, 1997, the court costs for a person who appears in court include an additional $10.00. The fine for failure to wear a seat belt is $10.00.
2. DRIVER'S SCHOOL INSTEAD OF POINTS.
A Defendant who wishes to avoid having points upon his or her driver's license might qualify to attend a driver's school. Attending driver's school will not affect the amount of the fine or court costs and will not erase the conviction from the driving record, but it will keep points off of the person's driving record. To qualify to attend the driver's school:
1. The Defendant must have been driving less than 90;
2. The Defendant must have a Missouri driver’s license;
3. The Defendant cannot have been operating a commercial
vehicle under a CDL (truck driver's) license; and
4. The Defendant cannot have used the Driver's School within the past 36 months.
3. SUSPENDED IMPOSITION OF SENTENCE.
A Defendant who wishes to avoid having points and a conviction upon his or her driver's license might qualify to receive a suspended imposition of sentence (SIS). An SIS is available only upon the following conditions:
1. The Defendant must have been driving 84 or less on Interstate 55
or driving 75 or less on any two-lane road having a speed limit
of 55 or more;
2. The Defendant must have a "clean" driving record, meaning no
moving violations (or moving violations reduced to non-moving
violations) at all within 5 years;
3. The Defendant who receives an SIS will be required to perform 8 hours of community service work under the supervision of an approved community service management company, with all costs to be paid by the Defendant;
4. A Defendant who receives an SIS will be placed on probation. The length of probation will always be up to the Court, but cannot exceed 2 years.
5. A Defendant who receives an SIS will not pay a fine, but will still be required to pay the court costs;
6. A request for an SIS must either be in writing or by appearance in court.
4. TO ENTER A PLEA OF NOT GUILTY:
To enter a plea of not guilty, you must appear in court at the time and on the date shown on your ticket. When your case is called tell the judge you plead not guilty.
The judge will set your case for trial at a later date. You have the right to have a lawyer represent you at the trial, but you are not required to have a lawyer.
If you do not enter a plea of guilty by mail and do not appear in court, a warrant will be issued for your arrest.
NOTE: If you were given a Fine Collection Center form at the time you received your traffic ticket, and you want to plead not guilty, you should fill out the NOT GUILTY portion of the form and send it immediately to the Fine Collection Center. They will forward your plea to the Associate Circuit Court and you will be notified by mail of your court date.