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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.