Pennsylvania drivers that receive a fine for "Obedience to Traffic Control Devices" will now have to pay a higher fine thanks to changes by the commonwealth.
Minersville police Chief Michael Combs said Thursday that Section 3111, "Obedience to Traffic Control Devices," which has been given to drivers as a break for speeding, will now come with a higher cost.
Two recent House bills, HB 1060 and HB 892, upped the fine to about $170 when it was previously $112 with fees.
That violation still does not carry the same weight as a speeding ticket, which includes points on the driver's license.
"We used to use that section to cut people a break, but as you can see, now it's going to jack up that fine," Combs said. "That's what the state did, realized a lot of officers were writing people for obedience instead of speeding and so they jacked up the fine now substantially. No one here suggested that because we like that section."
According to information from Frank L. Baranyai from the Pennsylvania DUI Association, HB 1060 set the fine at $150 with no costs and then HB 892 added the costs back in.
"What all this is going to boil down to is if you get disobedience to a traffic control device, it's going to cost you $170," Combs said.