Want to avoid points on your license after a speeding ticket? How you can in Lexington

Whether trying to get to work on time, rushing to pick up kids, or just driving a lead foot — many Kentuckians have had their run-in with getting a speeding ticket a time or two.

Kentucky drivers who don’t have much experience with paying speeding fines may have questions about next steps after they get ticketed. There are a few options a person with a speeding ticket has: they can pay the fines, or they can appear in court and plead guilty or not guilty.

Fines for speeding 10 to 25 miles per hour over the speed limit can range anywhere between $20 to $60, according to Kentucky law. Fines can exceed $100 if you are speeding more than 25 miles per hour.

Fines can be doubled for speeding if the offense occurred in an area near a school where flashing lights are posted and flashing, or in a construction zone, according to state law.

Depending on where the violation was committed, drivers may be able to pay the fine online, by mail or in person. However, some options may be limited depending on the severity of a ticket. Drivers facing more severe speeding offenses could be required to appear in court.

Fayette County Attorney Angela Evans has created a new way to pay tickets which does not involve going to court and can prevent the ticket from affecting a driver’s record. Drive Safe Lexington is an online and interactive option to resolve traffic speeding tickets, according to Evans.

Through this program, eligible participants do not have to go to court or attend in-person traffic classes.

‘Much more convenient’ process introduced in Lexington

The Drive Safe Lexington program was implemented in mid-January, according to Evans.

She said most violations are eligible for the program, which is done virtually. Participants are not allowed to enroll in the program if drivers were operating without a license or valid insurance, or have participated in traffic school in the past two years. Individuals with a commercial driver’s license are also ineligible.

Excessive speeds past a limit can also exclude someone from participating.

Unlike previous similar options, someone who participates in Drive Safe Lexington can avoid having a conviction on their record. They can also avoid getting points on their license or violations on their driving record.

For most violations, the administrative fee for Drive Safe Lexington is $200. However, some cases will carry an administrative fee up to $400, according to Evans. This payment goes towards the statutory fees required by the court clerk’s office and the Kentucky Department of Transportation.

This one-time fee, Evans said, is preferable to increased insurance rates as a result of pleading guilty to a violation, the cost of the ticket and court costs.

A two hour “refresher” of highway safety regulations is included in the online course.

Evans said she is not going to encourage ticketed drivers to pay their ticket if they are eligible for this program.

“This is a program that seemed like a no-brainer,” she said. “It is much more convenient to the public.”

The program is also convenient for Evans’ office because it reduces traffic violation dockets, and doesn’t require the need for an instructor for an in-person traffic violation class.

“It is convenient for the driver, for our office and it reduces the inconveniences that come when you are found to be driving too fast — which I am sure we can all be guilty of,” Evans said.

Individuals who participate in the program can register online with their citation number to see if they are eligible for Drive Safe Lexington. If qualified, individuals will be notified in an email within four days of registration. The program must be completed no later than 72 hours before their court date. Once completed, participants are not required to show up for court.

“It is the 21st Century and in addition to COVID, we now understand that we can do so much more online and virtually. ... Speeding is serious and can be dangerous and we don’t want to let it go and not proceed with consequences, but this program eliminates other barriers that we don’t think about when you have to deal with that in-person,” Evans said.

Other ways to address a speeding ticket

Unlike the Drive Safe program, those ticketed for speeding can prepay their citation, according to the Drive Safe website. This requires individuals to pay court costs of $143 and fines prior to arraignment, and is equivalent to pleading guilty. This conviction will be listed on a court record, with points added onto a driver’s license.

Some drivers may also be required to enroll in traffic school as a requirement of addressing their ticket which includes other fees for registration.

Someone may also contest charges and the traffic case can be continued for a pre-trial conference and then set for trial.