PITTSBURGH UBER AND LYFT DRIVER TRAFFIC TICKET DEFENSE

Many people in the Pittsburgh area have chosen rideshare work as a flexible way to earn a living or supplement one’s income. Locally, we’ve seen a steady increase of people driving for Uber, Uber Eats, Doordash, Lyft and related companies.

Uber or Lyft drivers may travel 20,000 to 30,000 miles per year. Rideshare drivers will often pick up riders during late evening and early morning hours in locations where there is a heavy police presence, such as the Southside. Due to these circumstances, Uber and Lyft drivers stand a greater than normal chance of being stopped and cited for traffic violations in Pittsburgh. Additionally, under pressure to make timely food deliveries and increase income, rideshare drivers may speed, go through “rolling stops” at stop signs, travel through steady red lights, or make other mistakes during the course of a shift.

If you are an Uber or Lyft driver who receives a traffic offense in Pittsburgh or Western Pennsylvania, a guilty plea or verdict can jeopardize your ability to work for these companies both now and in the future. It is important to understand the full consequences of your particular citation and to reach out to experienced legal counsel for guidance.

UBER AND LYFT POLICIES FOR BACKGROUND CHECKS

Uber, Lyft and Doordash have their own background check policies in place for new and existing drivers. These companies will conduct annual or periodic criminal and driver background checks, and can disqualify you from service depending upon the circumstances. You must contact these companies individually to obtain their policies.

TRAFFIC OFFENSES THAT CARRY POINTS AND LICENSE SUSPENSIONS FOR UBER AND LYFT DRIVERS

For Pennsylvania drivers, there are different types of offenses that trigger mandatory points and license suspensions if you plead guilty to a traffic charge, pay a fine for a traffic charge, or lose your traffic ticket hearing. The most common traffic ticket charges that Uber and Lyft drivers face in Western Pennsylvania include:

For a comprehensive list of points based and suspension based violations, please review Section 1532 and Section 1535 of the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code.

UBER AND LYFT DRIVERS SHOULD HIRE LEGAL REPRESENTATION TO CONTEST THEIR TRAFFIC TICKET IN PITTSBURGH

Our office has previously detailed mistakes that unrepresented individuals make in traffic court. Uber and Lyft drivers shouldn’t be pennywise and pound foolish when it comes to representing themselves in traffic court for several reasons.

First, a traffic ticket defense attorney may have familiarity with the individual magistrates, departments and police officers involved in your case, as well as any case law that might apply to your charges. Our firm has represented those facing traffic tickets in every single Magisterial District Court in Allegheny County and in most courts throughout Western Pennsylvania. Your best chance of a favorable outcome is to get a good lawyer on board from the very beginning.

Second, what if you represent yourself at a magistrate’s office and lose? The court will send an immediate notice of the result to PennDOT, who will apply points and/or a license suspension depending upon the penalties for your infraction. If this occurs, you have 30 days to file a summary appeal to obtain a new hearing at the Court of Common Pleas. You may also have to file a statutory license suspension appeal to stop a license suspension from taking effect while your case is pending.

If you file your summary appeal, your actual hearing date may not take place for approximately 2-4 months after the appeal was filed. All points and license suspensions will remain on your driving record while your appeal is pending. What this means is that the rideshare company will be able to track the conviction and penalties even though you are challenging the outcome and may get a better result in the end. Depending on company policies, there may be a possibility that you can’t drive for Uber or Lyft until and unless you win your summary appeal and PennDOT removes the points or suspensions from your driving record.

Third, if you lose at the magistrate’s office, attorneys will likely charge you more money for appeals representation than they would have charged for magistrate hearing representation. Each county has different costs for filing summary appeals and statutory license suspension appeals, which typically range from $55-$160 each.

THE ZUCKERMAN LAW FIRM LLC FIGHTS TO HELP UBER AND LYFT DRIVERS AVOID POINTS, LICENSE SUSPENSIONS AND LOSS OF LIVELIHOOD

If you are an Uber or Lyft driver who receives a traffic ticket in Pittsburgh, please call our firm at 412-447-5580 for a free consultation. In addition to providing a same-day quote for service, we will discuss with you the potential penalties for your charge so you can make an informed decision on what to do next. Please call 412-447-5580.