Thread: Generating Revenue through Traffic Tickets

ARTICLE SYNOPSIS:

Police departments increasingly use traffic violations to generate revenue and make criminals out of ordinary law-abiding citizens. New legislation makes Virginia a leader in this trend.
Follow this link to the original source: "Virginia Introduces $3,550 Speeding Ticket"

COMMENTARY:

Virginia lawmakers managed to inject a "driver responsibility tax" into a transportation-funding bill in April. The measure makes no bones about its intent stating, "The purpose of the civil remedial fees imposed in this section is to generate revenue." To that end, simple traffic violations that were once misdemeanors have been upgraded to felonies in order to inflate the fines associated with each violation.

Some of the changes: Exceeding the speed limit on an interstate by 15 mph wins the driver a loss of six points, a fine of up to $2,500, up to one year in jail and a mandatory $1,050 tax, with no reduction or suspension possible. Two violations that once were misdemeanors with minimal fines and are now Class 6 felonies are "failing to give a proper signal," or "driving with an obstructed view."

The latter is particularly problematic. The interpretation of "driving with an obstructed view," is often left to the officer who stops the vehicle to decide. A windshield caked in ice and snow with a little patch scraped clean, or balloons in the front seat would could fall under the "obstructed view" statute. So, quite possibly, could a cross or other religious symbol hanging from the rearview mirror or placed on the dashboard, if the officer's interpretation is extremely narrow.

Other states and localities have tried similar tricks recently. According to thenewspaper.com, which bills itself as a journal of the politics of driving, a Chicago, Illinois, city council member admits that the intent of the city's red light camera program is to generate more revenue, and has already raised $35.1 million since November, 2003. What the city and the police department don't say is that the length of yellow lights have been reduced, sometimes by only a second or two, leading to an increase in red light violations. This has happened even though studies have found that reducing the length of yellow lights causes an increase in accidents.

In Houston, Texas, police have issued tickets to the tune of $931,000 for the "crime" of using a decorative frame around a license plate. Now, clearly a frame around a license plate is in no way, shape, or form a traffic violation. It doesn't endanger public safety, nor is it a distraction. It is all about the money. In 2007 one officer alone issued 1,216 license plate tickets. Since 2004, the officer, Matthew Davis, has been rewarded with $162,000 in bonuses after pulling in $450,000 in ticket revenues.

And finally, in Alabama, the attorney general opines that cities can collect on parking tickets by throwing motorists in jail. For every $15 dollars in unpaid parking tickets, a motorist can be incarcerated for one day, or be guilty of contempt and have to pay $50 and spend five days in jail. And, parking tickets carry a twenty-year statute of limitations whereas serious crimes like burglary and fraud carry only a three-year limitation.

When laws are used to generate revenue rather than to ensure safety and order, the very concept of law has begun to go awry. These laws do not deter crime; they just turn innocent motorists into criminals.

Same thing is happening here in Atanta. There was a story this morning that revenues are off...wouldn't that be a good thing? NO! we must send the troops out to give more tickets to get more revenue.

Uh oh....granny is jay-walking....let's get her!!!!

I was pulled by a state trooper right outside of Richmond 6 months ago. Because I need a license for my job, I got an attorney. Of course he did nothing to help me and I ended up forking out 5 grand in court fees, fines, and attorney fees.

DC would be in dire straits if they didn't have their speed cameras. You don't pay, they suspend your license. They have to get their money from somewhere. It's not like anyone who lives there pays taxes.

Originally Posted by freckles

I was pulled by a state trooper right outside of Richmond 6 months ago. Because I need a license for my job, I got an attorney. Of course he did nothing to help me and I ended up forking out 5 grand in court fees, fines, and attorney fees.

DC would be in dire straits if they didn't have their speed cameras. You don't pay, they suspend your license. They have to get their money from somewhere. It's not like anyone who lives there pays taxes.

Thats just crazy. They are putting up yellow light cameras here. That should get them a few bux.

Desperate regimes do tyranical things. Rich businesses should flee from there in mass. Let the whole state go the way of Detroit. See how the government thugs will like that.

Originally Posted by michaelr

ARTICLE SYNOPSIS:

Police departments increasingly use traffic violations to generate revenue and make criminals out of ordinary law-abiding citizens. New legislation makes Virginia a leader in this trend.

Follow this link to the original source: "Virginia Introduces $3,550 Speeding Ticket"

COMMENTARY:

Virginia lawmakers managed to inject a "driver responsibility tax" into a transportation-funding bill in April. The measure makes no bones about its intent stating, "The purpose of the civil remedial fees imposed in this section is to generate revenue." To that end, simple traffic violations that were once misdemeanors have been upgraded to felonies in order to inflate the fines associated with each violation.

Some of the changes: Exceeding the speed limit on an interstate by 15 mph wins the driver a loss of six points, a fine of up to $2,500, up to one year in jail and a mandatory $1,050 tax, with no reduction or suspension possible. Two violations that once were misdemeanors with minimal fines and are now Class 6 felonies are "failing to give a proper signal," or "driving with an obstructed view."

The latter is particularly problematic. The interpretation of "driving with an obstructed view," is often left to the officer who stops the vehicle to decide. A windshield caked in ice and snow with a little patch scraped clean, or balloons in the front seat would could fall under the "obstructed view" statute. So, quite possibly, could a cross or other religious symbol hanging from the rearview mirror or placed on the dashboard, if the officer's interpretation is extremely narrow.

Other states and localities have tried similar tricks recently. According to thenewspaper.com, which bills itself as a journal of the politics of driving, a Chicago, Illinois, city council member admits that the intent of the city's red light camera program is to generate more revenue, and has already raised $35.1 million since November, 2003. What the city and the police department don't say is that the length of yellow lights have been reduced, sometimes by only a second or two, leading to an increase in red light violations. This has happened even though studies have found that reducing the length of yellow lights causes an increase in accidents.

In Houston, Texas, police have issued tickets to the tune of $931,000 for the "crime" of using a decorative frame around a license plate. Now, clearly a frame around a license plate is in no way, shape, or form a traffic violation. It doesn't endanger public safety, nor is it a distraction. It is all about the money. In 2007 one officer alone issued 1,216 license plate tickets. Since 2004, the officer, Matthew Davis, has been rewarded with $162,000 in bonuses after pulling in $450,000 in ticket revenues.

And finally, in Alabama, the attorney general opines that cities can collect on parking tickets by throwing motorists in jail. For every $15 dollars in unpaid parking tickets, a motorist can be incarcerated for one day, or be guilty of contempt and have to pay $50 and spend five days in jail. And, parking tickets carry a twenty-year statute of limitations whereas serious crimes like burglary and fraud carry only a three-year limitation.

When laws are used to generate revenue rather than to ensure safety and order, the very concept of law has begun to go awry. These laws do not deter crime; they just turn innocent motorists into criminals.

I dont see the problem, if you choose to drive then you should be willing to pay a few bucks...

Originally Posted by freckles

I was pulled by a state trooper right outside of Richmond 6 months ago. Because I need a license for my job, I got an attorney. Of course he did nothing to help me and I ended up forking out 5 grand in court fees, fines, and attorney fees.

DC would be in dire straits if they didn't have their speed cameras. You don't pay, they suspend your license. They have to get their money from somewhere. It's not like anyone who lives there pays taxes.

Henrico cops tag ya Freckles? Good luck with that but be real careful of Hanover County, they have their own justice system and they're hard. I know a kid that goes to GMU and he comes to Richmond because he has friends at VCU...he got pulled doing 115 in a 65 and had to pull 60 days. No drinking at all either. His Dad works for Homeland Security and was Air Force One's copter pilot for Clinton. His Dad has an office in the Pentagon and the WH and couldn't pull strings. Like I said... be wary of Hanover County. If ya get too tweaked and need a place to crash.....

Bring your little dog Toto with ya too...

You know, I recently drove through Ohio, and could not believe just how many cops were out on the highways there. You would think that with everything else going on in the world, they would be doing more than enforcing traffic laws.

Originally Posted by freckles

I was pulled by a state trooper right outside of Richmond 6 months ago. Because I need a license for my job, I got an attorney. Of course he did nothing to help me and I ended up forking out 5 grand in court fees, fines, and attorney fees.

DC would be in dire straits if they didn't have their speed cameras. You don't pay, they suspend your license. They have to get their money from somewhere. It's not like anyone who lives there pays taxes.

Is Bitchlandia around DC?

I'd rather see governments become more fiscally responsible than generate more revenue to fund more of their pet projects within their soaring expenditures.

This kind of crap isn't needed.