The Utah Highway Patrol plays an indispensable role in not only maintaining order on the roads but also ensuring public safety for the citizens of Utah, United States. Being a law enforcement agency first and foremost, the organization’s primary goal has always been protecting human lives and enforcing traffic safety. But its role goes far beyond just monitoring traffic, as authorities also handle accident investigations, criminal investigations, among others.
As of today, the Utah Highway Patrol employs more than 450 sworn troopers and is headquartered at Salt Lake City. The agency also actively collaborates with other organizations to tackle problems such as distracted driving, drunk driving, and the non-use of vehicle seat belts. Doing so, they aim to mitigate the overall number of preventable accidents on Utah’s roads. With that being said, if you have recently been on the wrong side of the traffic law in the state of Utah and are required to pay a penalty for your negligence, then our step-by-step guide can help you do that with ease.
Know Steps to Pay Citation Online
The Utah Highway Patrol issues traffic tickets/citations for minor violations of traffic laws, such as running a stop sign, speeding, and parking violations. Citations can also be issued by municipal police departments and county sheriff’s offices in the state of Utah. Usually, a citation should mention your name and address, your driving license, and the violation for which you are being penalized.
It should also be known that traffic citations also list the name and location of your court, which will decide your case, the series of actions that you have to perform to respond to the ticket, and the deadline by which you will have to pay the fine or simply go to court. Since traffic tickets impact your driver’s license and vehicle insurance rates, it is recommended to complete the fine payment process as quickly as possible. And to do that, follow the below-mentioned steps judiciously.
- Start the payment process by visiting the official ePayment website for Utah State Courts here.
- On the landing page, proceed to click on either “District or Justice Court ePayment”. For paying juvenile traffic fines, click on “Juvenile Court ePayment”.
- Alternatively, you can also decide to opt for “Deferred Traffic Prosecution,” where you will have the option to remove the traffic citation from your driving record. To do that, you will need to answer some questions in a guided interview, pay a specific fine (including administrative fees), and enter a plea where you will have to agree to not get involved in a traffic conviction for the next 12-month period. Also, remember that this is a voluntary process.
- Once you have selected the requisite option based on your preferences, you will be required to enter your case number or citation number, along with your name, the court under whose jurisdiction the traffic ticket was issued, and your date of birth.
- After that, you will be provided with the option to pay for your fine. Keep in mind that the payment options include debit and credit cards (Visa and MasterCard).
- Once you have successfully made the payment, you can take a printout of the payment confirmation page or receipt for future reference.
In addition to paying your traffic ticket fine online, you can also decide to personally visit the court under whose jurisdiction the citation was issued and then pay the fine on the spot. To locate the appropriate court, visit the official contact information page for all Utah courts here. Proceed to select your desired county, and you will be presented with a list of courts within that county along with their addresses and phone numbers.
Different Types of Offenses or Penalties
The Utah Highway Patrol, along with the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV), have assigned a point-based system for individuals performing moving traffic violations. Based on the violation, the number of points added to your name will vary. For instance, reckless driving will lead to an infraction of 80 points, while driving on the wrong side of the road will lead to an infraction of 60 points.
If an individual gets more than 200 infraction points within a three-year period, his or her driving privileges could be temporarily suspended. On the other hand, drivers aged 21 or below will receive a similar punishment if their infraction points reach 70. To learn more about the different types of offenses, be sure to go through the following list closely.
Reckless Driving: Carrying the highest number of infraction points, reckless driving involves driving a vehicle with or without willful disregard for the safety of property or pedestrians on the road. It is a much more serious offense than careless driving.
Speeding (Based On Severity): Driving on roads beyond the speed limit than what it is intended for will lead to penalties. However, the amount of the fine you need to pay will depend on its severity. For less severe situations, the infraction points will be 35, while for more severe situations, they will be 75.
Tailgating: Following other vehicles too closely will lead to a tailgating violation, with an infraction of 60 points. Such a habit is considered dangerous because it can lead to serious injuries or accidents, especially at highway speeds where braking distances tend to be longer.
Driving Wrong Side Of Road/Driving Wrong Way On One-Way Street: Featuring 60 infraction points, performing any of these traffic violations not only leads to accidents but also confusion among the other drivers on the road, leading to chaos.
Jumping Red Light/Stop Sign: With an infraction rating of 50 points, jumping stop signs on roads or red lights at traffic intersections also showcase the disregard for human and property safety.
Additionally, some of the other offenses include improper lookout, improper passing, and negligent collision – all of which carry 50 infraction points. Also, remember that except for speeding tickets, points for any of the aforementioned violations can be increased or decreased by 10 per cent by court judges.
For any additional assistance, you can get in touch with the Utah Highway Patrol at 911 (for emergencies) or 801-965-4518 (for general queries). Phone lines are available round the clock.
