Virginians Face $3,000 Traffic Ticket
Virginia is for lovers, or so the state slogan has
declared since 1969. Starting today, Virginia also will be the home of the
$3,000 traffic ticket.
Virginians Face $3,000 Traffic Ticket
By Dennis Cauchon,
(July 1) - Virginia is for lovers, or so the
state slogan has declared since 1969. Starting
today, Virginia also will be the home of the
$3,000 traffic ticket. In an effort to raise
money for road projects, the state will start
hitting residents who commit serious traffic
offenses with huge civil penalties.
Virginia's new traffic penalties, expected to
raise $65 million a year, are part of an effort
to improve the state's roads without raising taxes.
Beginning Sunday, Virginia is adding new civil
charges to traffic fines. They range from $750 to
$3,000 and will be added to existing fines and
court costs. The civil penalty for going 20 mph
over the speed limit will be $1,050, plus $61 in
court costs and a fine that is typically about $200.
The new civil charges range from $750 to $3,000
and be added to existing fines and court costs.
The civil penalty for going 20 mph over the speed
limit will be $1,050, plus $61 in court costs and
a fine that is typically about $200.
Virginia's traffic law is one of several thousand
new state laws that take effect Sunday. Jan. 1
and July 1 are the most popular dates for state laws to become official.
July 1 is especially popular for new taxes and
fees because it's the start of the budget year in
46 states. For example, Arkansas will cut its
sales tax on groceries from 6% to 3% Sunday.
Virginia's new traffic penalties are expected to
raise $65 million a year and are part of an
effort to improve the state's roads without raising taxes.
A first-time drunken driver will face a $2,250
civil penalty, plus fines and court costs that
typically run about $500 or more. Driving without
a license? That's a mandatory $900 civil penalty,
in addition to the ordinary $100 for a fine and court costs.
"It's outrageous," says traffic court attorney
Thaddeus Furlong of Springfield, Va. "When Mr.
and Mrs. Middle Class find out what they have to
pay, there's going to be a backlash like you've never seen."
Some other states impose extra civil penalties
for traffic offenses, but the cost is usually
$100 or $200, Furlong says. "What sets this apart
is the Draconian size of the civil penalties," he says.
Another difference: The civil penalties apply
only to Virginia residents, not out-of-state
drivers. Virginians must pay in three
installments over 26 months or lose their
licenses. The state Legislature didn't think it
could enforce the extra penalties in other states.
Motorist club AAA Mid-Atlantic supports the new penalties.
"These penalties are harsh, but normal fines
haven't gotten people to drive sanely. Maybe this
will," says Lon Anderson, spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic.
He says the new law will help reduce the nearly
1,000 traffic deaths the state records annually.
"We wish motorists didn't have to pay more, but
the fact is Virginia's transportation trust fund is broke," Anderson says.
Other new State laws taking effect July 1:
Drunken Driving: Wyoming bans open containers in
vehicles. South Dakota expands a program that
requires repeat drunken drivers to check in at
jails twice daily for breath testing. Supporters
say it reduces jail costs and allows people to
continue working, support their families and stay sober.
Health: New York City bans trans fats.
Massachusetts' sweeping health care insurance law
takes full effect, with everyone required to have
health insurance - either with state help or purchased privately.
Children's Health: California bans soda sales on
school campuses during school hours, and puts new
limits on sugar and fat content in school food..
Florida starts a one-year pilot program to test
randomly for steroid use among high school
athletes participating in football, baseball and weightlifting.
Cervical Cancer: Indiana schools must tell
parents of sixth-grade girls about the link
between human papillomavirus and cervical cancer,
and about the availability of a new vaccine.
North Carolina also requires schools to tell
parents about the disease and the vaccine. Nevada
requires insurers to cover the new vaccine.
Sex Education: Colorado bans abstinence-only sex
education in all schools (except for one
district), requiring schools to teach sex
education based on scientific research and to
include information on contraception.
Energy: Nevada and Minnesota encourage
conservation and alternative energy. North Dakota
begins a temporary tax break to spur the drilling
of more oil wells in an area called the Bakken geologic formation.
Sex Offenders: Virginia requires convicted sex
offenders to register their e-mail addresses with
the state. Nevada forces certain sex offenders to
live at least 1,000 feet away from schools and
other places children gather. Connecticut creates
a new crime for those who abuse a child under 13
that carries a 25-year prison sentence.
Showing ID:Tennessee requires everyone who buys
beer at a store to show identification, regardless of their age.
War and Veterans: Minnesota provides state
education assistance to veterans, or family
members of dead or disabled veterans. Idaho
limits protests at military funerals. Florida
bars commercial use of names or pictures of
service members without their permission or their
families' permission, if they are deceased.
Immigration: Georgia's tough anti-illegal
immigration laws kick in, requiring public
employers with 500 or more employees -- and any
contractors -- to verify that all new hires are
in the country lawfully. The state also checks to
make sure that anyone over age 18 who is
receiving benefits is in the country legally.
Idaho requires proof of legal residency for most forms of public assistance.
Abortion: Women seeking abortions in Georgia must
be given a chance to see an ultrasound image of
the fetus and listen for a heartbeat. In
Mississippi, an abortion provider must perform a
sonogram and give a pregnant woman the chance to listen to the heartbeat.
Minimum Wage: Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania
were among the states that raised their minimum wage.
Sexual Orientation:Gays and lesbians are
protected by Iowa's civil rights laws. Vermont
bars discrimination against people who change
their genders or discrimination based on whether
they present themselves as a man or a woman.
Medical Marijuana: New Mexico legalized the
medical use of marijuana. Rhode Island made
permanent its medical marijuana program, which
was to expire June 30. Vermont expanded the use
of medical marijuana from only those with
terminal diseases to those with some chronic diseases, too.[:(]
declared since 1969. Starting today, Virginia also will be the home of the
$3,000 traffic ticket.
Virginians Face $3,000 Traffic Ticket
By Dennis Cauchon,
(July 1) - Virginia is for lovers, or so the
state slogan has declared since 1969. Starting
today, Virginia also will be the home of the
$3,000 traffic ticket. In an effort to raise
money for road projects, the state will start
hitting residents who commit serious traffic
offenses with huge civil penalties.
Virginia's new traffic penalties, expected to
raise $65 million a year, are part of an effort
to improve the state's roads without raising taxes.
Beginning Sunday, Virginia is adding new civil
charges to traffic fines. They range from $750 to
$3,000 and will be added to existing fines and
court costs. The civil penalty for going 20 mph
over the speed limit will be $1,050, plus $61 in
court costs and a fine that is typically about $200.
The new civil charges range from $750 to $3,000
and be added to existing fines and court costs.
The civil penalty for going 20 mph over the speed
limit will be $1,050, plus $61 in court costs and
a fine that is typically about $200.
Virginia's traffic law is one of several thousand
new state laws that take effect Sunday. Jan. 1
and July 1 are the most popular dates for state laws to become official.
July 1 is especially popular for new taxes and
fees because it's the start of the budget year in
46 states. For example, Arkansas will cut its
sales tax on groceries from 6% to 3% Sunday.
Virginia's new traffic penalties are expected to
raise $65 million a year and are part of an
effort to improve the state's roads without raising taxes.
A first-time drunken driver will face a $2,250
civil penalty, plus fines and court costs that
typically run about $500 or more. Driving without
a license? That's a mandatory $900 civil penalty,
in addition to the ordinary $100 for a fine and court costs.
"It's outrageous," says traffic court attorney
Thaddeus Furlong of Springfield, Va. "When Mr.
and Mrs. Middle Class find out what they have to
pay, there's going to be a backlash like you've never seen."
Some other states impose extra civil penalties
for traffic offenses, but the cost is usually
$100 or $200, Furlong says. "What sets this apart
is the Draconian size of the civil penalties," he says.
Another difference: The civil penalties apply
only to Virginia residents, not out-of-state
drivers. Virginians must pay in three
installments over 26 months or lose their
licenses. The state Legislature didn't think it
could enforce the extra penalties in other states.
Motorist club AAA Mid-Atlantic supports the new penalties.
"These penalties are harsh, but normal fines
haven't gotten people to drive sanely. Maybe this
will," says Lon Anderson, spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic.
He says the new law will help reduce the nearly
1,000 traffic deaths the state records annually.
"We wish motorists didn't have to pay more, but
the fact is Virginia's transportation trust fund is broke," Anderson says.
Other new State laws taking effect July 1:
Drunken Driving: Wyoming bans open containers in
vehicles. South Dakota expands a program that
requires repeat drunken drivers to check in at
jails twice daily for breath testing. Supporters
say it reduces jail costs and allows people to
continue working, support their families and stay sober.
Health: New York City bans trans fats.
Massachusetts' sweeping health care insurance law
takes full effect, with everyone required to have
health insurance - either with state help or purchased privately.
Children's Health: California bans soda sales on
school campuses during school hours, and puts new
limits on sugar and fat content in school food..
Florida starts a one-year pilot program to test
randomly for steroid use among high school
athletes participating in football, baseball and weightlifting.
Cervical Cancer: Indiana schools must tell
parents of sixth-grade girls about the link
between human papillomavirus and cervical cancer,
and about the availability of a new vaccine.
North Carolina also requires schools to tell
parents about the disease and the vaccine. Nevada
requires insurers to cover the new vaccine.
Sex Education: Colorado bans abstinence-only sex
education in all schools (except for one
district), requiring schools to teach sex
education based on scientific research and to
include information on contraception.
Energy: Nevada and Minnesota encourage
conservation and alternative energy. North Dakota
begins a temporary tax break to spur the drilling
of more oil wells in an area called the Bakken geologic formation.
Sex Offenders: Virginia requires convicted sex
offenders to register their e-mail addresses with
the state. Nevada forces certain sex offenders to
live at least 1,000 feet away from schools and
other places children gather. Connecticut creates
a new crime for those who abuse a child under 13
that carries a 25-year prison sentence.
Showing ID:Tennessee requires everyone who buys
beer at a store to show identification, regardless of their age.
War and Veterans: Minnesota provides state
education assistance to veterans, or family
members of dead or disabled veterans. Idaho
limits protests at military funerals. Florida
bars commercial use of names or pictures of
service members without their permission or their
families' permission, if they are deceased.
Immigration: Georgia's tough anti-illegal
immigration laws kick in, requiring public
employers with 500 or more employees -- and any
contractors -- to verify that all new hires are
in the country lawfully. The state also checks to
make sure that anyone over age 18 who is
receiving benefits is in the country legally.
Idaho requires proof of legal residency for most forms of public assistance.
Abortion: Women seeking abortions in Georgia must
be given a chance to see an ultrasound image of
the fetus and listen for a heartbeat. In
Mississippi, an abortion provider must perform a
sonogram and give a pregnant woman the chance to listen to the heartbeat.
Minimum Wage: Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania
were among the states that raised their minimum wage.
Sexual Orientation:Gays and lesbians are
protected by Iowa's civil rights laws. Vermont
bars discrimination against people who change
their genders or discrimination based on whether
they present themselves as a man or a woman.
Medical Marijuana: New Mexico legalized the
medical use of marijuana. Rhode Island made
permanent its medical marijuana program, which
was to expire June 30. Vermont expanded the use
of medical marijuana from only those with
terminal diseases to those with some chronic diseases, too.[:(]
0
-
Why don't they go for the fuggin dealth penalty for speeding? What a communist law that is. 0 -
This is the key phrase of the whole thing: "In an effort to raise
money for road projects, the state will start hitting residents who commit serious traffic offenses with huge civil penalties."
While I all up for punishing reckless drivers, but when the state wants to raise money this way... Well, I think everything that's wrong with it is too obvious.0 -
It won't raise anywhere NEAR that much money. People who drive like idiots usually don't have a license anyway! They'll just keep on driving like morons.
We need corporal punishment, imo. Driving 20 over? You get a whip lash for every mph over!
THAT would slow some people down!
Merc0 -
quote:Originally posted by Mercury
We need corporal punishment, imo. Driving 20 over? You get a whip lash for every mph over!
THAT would slow some people down!
Merc
hell yeah!0 -
As an out-of-state driver, I'd make them come after me. Then, I'd tell them to go pound sand. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by spanielsells
As an out-of-state driver, I'd make them come after me. Then, I'd tell them to go pound sand.
The extra fines are only for Virginia residents, so as a MD resident, I can still speed in VA with just the regular fine.
Woo Hoo!0 -
BTW: This is obviously not constitutional (Cruel and unusual punishment). All it will take is a case or two to to go beyond traffic court to get the new speeding fines eliminated from the books. 0 -
Virginia seems to do it's own thing. Radar detectors are also illegal in Virginia, even though it is considered legal in most other states for an individual to monitor any signal broadcast over the airwaves. 0 -
better keep that in mind next time i head south 0 -
quote:Another difference: The civil penalties apply
only to Virginia residents, not out-of-state
drivers. Virginians must pay in three
installments over 26 months or lose their
licenses. The state Legislature didn't think it
could enforce the extra penalties in other states.
That sure sounds like a violation of the equal protection under the law concept (14th Amendment?)
quote:Nevada
requires insurers to cover the new vaccine.
and pass the cost on to consumers....0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
10 comments