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Double Fine Speeding Tickets in Missouri “Travel Safe Zones”

Speeding ticket fines will double in the “Travel Safe Zone” on I-70 between Route A and Wentzville Parkway starting Monday, April 4, 2016. This Travel Safe Zone will remain in effect for 1 year and then will be re-evaluated.

What is a Travel Safe Zone?

A Travel Safe Zone is a special speed zone established in a high-accident area to enforce safe driving and reduce traffic fatalities. On this particular section of I-70 near Wentzville, Missouri, there have been 4 traffic deaths within the past 5 years and 160 accidents in the past year alone.

The Wentzville Travel Safe Zone is similar to the “ARC Zone” (Accident Reduction Corridor) that was in effect for over 3 years from 2011 to 2014 on a 7-mile stretch of I-70 in north St. Louis County near the airport.

Where is the Wentzville Travel Safe Zone?

The Wentzville Travel Safe Zone is a 4-mile section of I-70 in St. Charles County, west of St. Louis, Missouri between Route A and Wentzville Parkway. The Travel Safe Zone applies to traffic moving in both directions on the highway.

Some signs have been posted to warn drivers that speeding ticket fines will be double the usual amount in the Travel Safe Zone.

Both Missouri State Highway Patrol and Wentzville Municipal Police will patrol this section of I-70.

How Much Are the Travel Safe Zone Speeding Ticket Fines?

Travel Safe Zone ticket fines will be double the usual amount for all speeding tickets and other moving violations issued in the Travel Safe Zone. So, if the fine for a speeding ticket was $150, the new fine will be $300 for committing any moving violation in the Wentzville Travel Safe Zone.

Locations of Other Travel Safe Zones in the St. Louis Area

Other Travel Safe Zones in the St. Louis area include:

  • I-70 from Cypress Road in St. Louis County to the St. Louis City border
  • Highway 94 between Defiance and Highway D in St. Charles County
  • Highway 61 between Highway A in Wentzville and Dietrich Road in northern St. Charles County.
  • I-55 in Jefferson County between Highway Z in Pevely and Highway 67 in Crystal City
Click here for more information about Missouri Travel Safe Zones.

Hire a Traffic Ticket Lawyer to Fix Your Travel Safe Zone Speeding Ticket

An experienced traffic law attorney can get your Travel Safe Zone ticket reduced to a non-moving, no-point violation that won’t affect your driving record or insurance rates. Some people call this getting a speeding ticket “fixed.”

Your attorney will negotiate a plea bargain deal with the court and you will pay a fine and court costs, but you will not have to appear in court.

If you want to get your Missouri Travel Safe Zone ticket reduced to a non-moving, no-point violation, call St. Louis traffic law attorney Andrea Storey Rogers at (314) 724-5059 or email her at [email protected] to get a price quote for legal representation.

 

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St. Ann ARC Zone Speeding Ticket Fines Increase in 2014

St. Ann Municipal Court increased their ARC Zone speeding ticket fines by $25 as of January 2014.

    • The fine for driving 11-15 miles over the speed limit in the St. Ann ARC Zone was $200 but is now $225.
    • The fine for driving 16-19 miles over the speed limit in the St. Ann ARC Zone was $250 but is now $275.

What is the ARC Zone?

The ARC Zone is a special speed zone located along a high-accident area of I-70 near the airport in St. Louis, MO.

“ARC Zone” stands for Accident Reduction Corridor. There are a couple of very small signs along the highway in this area identifying it as a “Travel Safe Zone.” If you receive a speeding ticket in the ARC Zone, your ticket may state that you were speeding in the “ARC Zone” or “Travel Safe Zone.”

Police patrol heavily in the St. Louis ARC Zone, sometimes pulling over 4-5 vehicles at a time.

Where is the ARC Zone?

The ARC Zone is located along I-70 in St. Louis, near the airport. Eight St. Louis municipalities make up the ARC Zone:  Berkeley, Cool Valley, Edmundson, Normandy, Northwoods, Pine Lawn, St. Ann, and Woodson Terrace.

Are Speeding Ticket Fines Higher in the ARC Zone?

Speeding ticket fines in the St. Louis ARC Zone vary by court, but the fines are much higher than if you had received your ticket in a regular speed zone.

How to Get an ARC Zone Speeding Ticket Reduced to a Non-Moving Violation & Keep Points Off Your Driving Record

If you hire an attorney to get your ARC Zone speeding ticket reduced to a non-moving, no-point violation, no points will be added to your driving record, and your car insurance rates will not be affected.

You will not have to appear in court, but you will have to pay a fine and court costs, and the fine after your ticket is “fixed” will be higher than the original fine.

How Much is the Fine For a St. Ann ARC Zone Speeding Ticket If You Plead Guilty?

As noted above, if you receive a ticket for driving 11-15 miles over the speed limit in the St. Ann ARC Zone, the fine is $225* and 2 points will be added to your driving record. The fine is $275* if you are caught driving 16-19 miles over the speed limit in the St. Ann ARC Zone, and 2 points will be added to your driving record.

*These fine amounts are what you would pay if you plead guilty. When you plead guilty to a speeding ticket or other moving violation issued by a municipal court, 2 points are added to your driving record, which could cause your car insurance rates to increase.

How Much is the Fine After a St. Ann ARC Zone Speeding Ticket is Reduced to a Non-Moving Violation?

If you receive a traffic ticket in the St. Ann ARC Zone for driving 11 miles over the speed limit and you hire a traffic law attorney to get the charge dropped to a non-moving violation, your total fine & court costs will be approximately $275.

For a typical St. Ann ARC Zone speeding ticket for driving 12 miles over the speed limit, the total fine & court costs will be approximately $285 after your attorney gets your ticket reduced to a non-moving violation.

The St. Ann Prosecuting Attorney usually adds an additional $10 to the fine for each mile over the limit. For example:

13 miles over = $295

14 miles over = $305

15 miles over = $315

PLEASE NOTE:  Fine amounts can vary – this is an estimate based on my experience handling many ARC Zone tickets in St. Ann Municipal Court over the past few years. The Prosecuting Attorney determines the amount of the speeding ticket fine that will be assessed if the Prosecutor agrees to amend the ticket to a non-moving, no-point violation.

For more information, click here to read my previous blog post about ARC Zone speeding tickets.

To get your ARC Zone speeding ticket reduced to a non-moving, no-point violation,
call St. Louis traffic law attorney Andrea Storey Rogers at (314) 724-5059 or email
her at [email protected] for a price quote and an estimate of
your fine and court costs.

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Frequently Asked Questions About ARC Zone Speeding Tickets

An ARC Zone speeding ticket is a ticket issued in an Accident Reduction Corridor (sometimes called a Travel Safe Zone), and if you are caught speeding in the ARC Zone in St. Louis, your fine will be almost 3 times higher than if you were in a regular speed zone.

Where is the ARC Zone in St. Louis?

Eight municipalities make up the St. Louis ARC Zone:  St. Ann, Berkeley, Cool Valley, Edmundson, Normandy, Northwoods, Woodson Terrace, and Pine Lawn. The ARC Zone encompasses a 7-mile stretch of I-70 in north St. Louis County near the airport.

These municipalities banded together and established the ARC Zone/Travel Safe Zone to encourage drivers to slow down in areas where there have been lots of accidents. According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, there were 3,000 car crashes in 2009 in the east bound lanes of what is now the ARC Zone.

Be warned:  there aren’t many signs to notify you that you are in the ARC Zone, and the police heavily patrol this area. 

Are Fines for ARC Zone Speeding Tickets Higher?

Just like a construction zone ticket or school zone ticket, the fine for a Missouri ARC Zone speeding ticket is much higher than the fine would be if the ticket had been issued for the same speed in a regular speed zone.

St. Louis ARC Zone speeding ticket fines vary by court, but here is an example:  If you receive an ARC Zone speeding ticket in St. Ann Municipal Court for driving 71 in a 60 mph zone, the original fine and court costs total $200. If you had received that same ticket in St. Ann for driving the same speed in a regular speed zone (not an ARC Zone), your total fine and court costs would have been only $71.

Total fines and court costs for speeding in the St. Ann ARC Zone:

5-10 miles over – $150

11-15 miles over – $200

16-19 miles over – $250

20-24 miles over – $300

Can I Get My ARC Zone Speeding Ticket Fixed?

A traffic law attorney can negotiate a plea bargain with the prosecuting attorney to have your ARC zone speeding ticket reduced to a non-moving, no-point infraction, such as “Illegal Parking.” (Sometimes this is called getting a ticket “fixed.”)

You will have to pay a fine and court costs, and the fine after your ticket is reduced to “Illegal Parking” will be slightly higher than the original fine. However, no points will be added to your driving record, and your insurance company will never know you received the ticket.

How Much is the Fine for an ARC Zone Ticket After a Lawyer Gets It Fixed?

Here are some examples of the fines and court costs you will pay after your attorney gets your ARC zone speeding ticket reduced to a non-moving, no-point infraction:

If you hire an attorney for your St. Ann ARC Zone speeding ticket for driving 71 in a 60 mph ARC Zone (original fine = $200), your new fine and court costs will total $260 after the ticket is reduced to “Illegal Parking.”

For an ARC Zone speeding ticket in Pine Lawn for driving 71 in a 55 mph ARC Zone, the original fine and court costs total $250. If your attorney is able to get the ARC Zone ticket reduced to “Illegal Parking,” your total fine and court costs will be $275.

For an ARC Zone speeding ticket in Normandy for driving 70 in a 55 mph ARC Zone, the original fine and court costs total $250. After your attorney negotiates a plea bargain to have your ticket amended to “Illegal Parking,” the total fine and court costs will be $315.

How Many Points for an ARC Zone Speeding Ticket?

Two points are added to your Missouri driving record for an ARC Zone speeding ticket. This is the same amount of points you would receive if your ticket had been issued in a regular speed zone.

If you accumulate 8 points within 18 months, your Missouri driver’s license will be suspended for 30 days, if it’s your first suspension. Your license will be revoked for 1 year if you accumulate 12 points within 12 months, 18 points within 24 months, or 24 points within 36 months.

As noted above, if you hire an attorney to get your ARC Zone ticket reduced to a parking violation, you will pay a fine that is slightly higher than the original fine, plus court costs, but no points will be added to your driving record.

What If I Already Paid My Fine?

In many cases, an attorney can withdraw your guilty plea and get your ARC Zone ticket fixed, even if you have already paid the fine. Please note:  it is much more difficult to withdraw your guilty plea if you were represented by an attorney or if too much time has passed since you paid the fine.

How Do I Get a Price Quote to Have My ARC Zone Ticket Fixed?

Call St. Louis speeding ticket lawyer Andrea Storey Rogers at (314) 724-5059 for a price quote to get your ARC Zone speeding ticket fixed. In most cases, Andrea can also give you an estimate of the fine and court costs that you will pay after your ticket is reduced to a parking violation.

For more information about Missouri traffic tickets, you can go to the Traffic Law Resources page, where there is a link to a list of all Missouri traffic ticket fines, points, and penalties.

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Beware Double Fine Zone Speeding Tickets in St. Louis

Just like other traffic tickets, “Double Fine Zone” speeding tickets in St. Louis can be reduced to non-moving, no-point infractions if you hire a traffic law attorney to negotiate a plea bargain with the prosecuting attorney, but be prepared for a hefty fine.

How Much is the Fine in a Double Fine Zone?

Normally, the fine in a Double Fine Zone is just what it says–double the fine that it would have been in a regular speed zone. Many drivers choose to hire an attorney to negotiate a plea bargain with the court to get their speeding ticket reduced to a non-moving violation so their car insurance rates won’t increase and no points will be added to their driving record. If the Court agrees to reduce your ticket to a non-moving violation, you will have to pay a slightly higher fine plus court costs.

Be aware that some courts assess even higher fines than normal for reducing a Double Fine Zone ticket to a non-moving violation. For example, if you receive a speeding ticket for driving 14 miles over the speed limit (44 in a 30 mph zone) in a Double Fine Zone in the St. Louis suburb of Ballwin, Missouri, your fine will be $145.50. If you hire an attorney to get the ticket “fixed” (reduced to a non-moving, no-point violation), your fine after the ticket is reduced to “Illegal Parking” will be $425.50 plus $24.50 in court costs. In case you’re bad at math, this translates to almost three times the original fine.

According to the Ballwin Municipal Court Clerk’s office, the Double Fine Zones were established in their municipality for safety purposes in high-traffic residential areas of Ballwin.

“ARC Zones” or “Travel Safe Zones” Also Mean Double Fines

Other Double Fine Zones also exist in St. Louis, although they may be called a “Travel Safe Zone,” “ARC Zone” or “Accident Reduction Corridor.” In North St. Louis County, the municipalities of Berkeley, Cool Valley, Edmundson, Normandy, Northwoods, Pine Lawn, St. Ann, and Woodson Terrace established an ARC Zone, which is now called a Travel Safe Zone. Police officers in these cities regularly issue $200 tickets for speeding 11 miles over the limit in the Travel Safe/ARC Zone.

You Will Pay a Higher Fine After Your ARC Zone Ticket is Reduced to a Non-Moving Violation 

If you receive a speeding ticket for 73 in a 60 mph ARC Zone in St. Ann, Missouri, the fine is $200. After hiring an attorney to get the ticket amended to a non-moving, no-point violation such as “Illegal Parking,” your fine and court costs will total $275. This is in addition to the amount you pay your lawyer for their legal services.

For more information, click on this link to read my blog post about St. Louis ARC Zone speeding ticket fines.

Or see this page of my website for information about points on your driving record and Missouri speeding ticket fines.

If you have received a speeding ticket in a Double Fine Zone or ARC Zone in St. Louis and would like a price quote to get your ticket reduced to a non-moving, no-point violation, call St. Louis traffic law attorney Andrea Storey Rogers at (314) 724-5059 or email her at [email protected]

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“ARC Zone” Tickets Mean Higher Fines for St. Louis Drivers

If you are caught speeding in an ARC Zone (Accident Reduction Corridor or Travel Safe Zone) in St. Louis, your speeding ticket fine will be higher than if you were in a regular speed zone.

What is an ARC Zone?

In an effort to make drivers slow down in areas where there have been lots of accidents, police departments in eight St. Louis municipalities in North St. Louis County have established a seven-mile stretch along I-70 as an Accident Reduction Corridor, also known as an ARC Zone or Travel Safe Zone.

The signs notifying you that you are in an ARC Zone are few and hard to see, and the police heavily patrol the St. Louis ARC Zone.

Where is the ARC Zone in St. Louis?

The eight St. Louis municipalities in the Accident Reduction Corridor are St. Ann, Berkeley, Cool Valley, Edmundson, Normandy, Northwoods, Woodson Terrace, and Pine Lawn in North St. Louis County. Police departments in these municipalities decided to establish the ARC Zone to crack down on speeders after the Missouri Department of Transportation reported that, in 2009, there were 3,000 car crashes in the east bound lanes of this area alone.

The increased enforcement in the ARC Zone/Travel Safe Zone began on July 1, 2011 and there are no plans to end the increased police presence in this area. St. Ann Police Chief Richard Schrader said in a Fox 2 news report, “It’s not for a weekend. It’s not for two or three months. It is from now on.”

Can a Lawyer Get an ARC Zone Speeding Ticket Fixed?

A traffic law attorney can negotiate a plea bargain with the prosecuting attorney to have your ARC zone speeding ticket reduced to a non-moving, no-point infraction, such as “Illegal Parking.”

How Much is the Fine for an ARC Zone Speeding Ticket in St. Louis?

The amount of the fine for an ARC Zone speeding ticket in St. Louis is slightly different in each court.

For example, if you receive an ARC Zone speeding ticket in St. Ann Municipal Court for driving 71 in a 60 mph zone, the original fine and court costs total $200. If you had received that same ticket in St. Ann for driving the same speed in a regular speed zone (not an ARC Zone), your total fine and court costs would have been only $71.

Total fine and court costs for speeding in the St. Ann ARC Zone:

5-10 miles over – $150

11-15 miles over – $200

16-19 miles over – $250

20-24 miles over – $300

How Much is the Fine if You Hire a Lawyer to Fix an ARC Zone Speeding Ticket?

If you hire an attorney to get your St. Ann ARC Zone speeding ticket for driving 71 in a 60 mph ARC Zone (original fine = $200) reduced to “Illegal Parking,” your new fine and court costs will total $260.

If you receive an ARC Zone speeding ticket in Pine Lawn Municipal Court for driving 71 in a 55 mph ARC Zone, the original fine and court costs total $250. If your attorney is able to get the ARC Zone ticket reduced to “Illegal Parking,” your total fine and court costs will be $275.

For an ARC Zone speeding ticket in Normandy Municipal Court for driving 70 in a 55 mph ARC Zone, the original fine and court costs total $250. After your attorney negotiates a plea bargain to have your ticket reduced to “Illegal Parking,” the total fine and court costs will be $315.

Price Quote & Estimate of Fine for ARC Zone Tickets

Call St. Louis traffic law attorney Andrea Storey Rogers at (314) 724-5059 or email her at [email protected] for a price quote to get your ARC Zone speeding ticket fixed. Andrea can also give you an estimate of the fine and court costs you will have to pay.

To learn more about Missouri traffic violations, points, fines, and penalties, go to the Traffic Law Resources page of this website.

(This post was updated on February 3, 2013.)