Posted on 03/20/2006 11:02:50 AM PST by JZelle
RICHMOND -- Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and General Assembly lawmakers want lousy drivers to help balance the state's budget and ease congested roads. Mr. Kaine, a Democrat, and the Republican-controlled House and Senate are each pushing "abuser-fee" programs that annually fine drivers for the number of points on their driving record or if they have been convicted of a serious offense such as drunken driving. The fines would be in addition to court fees and insurance surcharges. "People who abuse the roads are the ones who should pay for them," said Delegate David B. Albo, Fairfax County Republican. "It is going to make people more careful."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
It will cost more in the long run with all the warrants being issued and people thrown in jail sitting out fines they cant/wont pay.
Then they should be free of charge and taxes to all good drivers....LOL yah, right
This is ridiculous. Why don't they quit stealing the taxpayers money. That should balance the budget.
While I'm all for punishing bad drivers, I fail to see where this will actually solve anything. The drivers who are most commonly "bad" tend to be from low-income backgrounds. Does the General Assembly intend to write an exception for "poor" bad drivers? If so, how does allowing these people to bypass punishment help anything?
If, on the other hand, we enforce this program with 100% efficiency, we stand a chance of pushing drivers into driving without a license. With THAT problem as bad as it is over on the Eastern Shore, do we REALLY need to make it worse?
How about instead of punishing people for getting tickets, WE PROPERLY TEST AND TRAIN THEM BEFORE ISSUING A LICENSE???? Would that not be the more "fair" solution to our "bad driver" problem (since we're too cowardly to arrest and deport the illegals that acerbate the problem)?
Of course, with the Commonwealth finishing the budget year YET AGAIN with a billion-plus dollar surplus, do we REALLY need to raise ANY taxes OR fees at ALL?!
Don't they already fine you for the things that get you points?
Excatly! You get to pay the fine for the traffic violation. Then your insurance goes up, you get to pay again. On top of that, the state is going to tax you some more.
"Does the General Assembly intend to write an exception for "poor" bad drivers?"
I think the idea is to target those who can better afford it. If you have money, you can always count on the government to figure out a way to steal it from you.
However, the program has some serious consequences that have raised concerns for some Virginia lawmakers.
A report released last month by the New Jersey Motor Vehicles Affordability and Fairness Task Force shows low-income motorists are hit hardest by the New Jersey program -- one of four such programs in the country.
The question is: How well do more affluent drivers behave on the road? Is there any state that has implemented this type of program which receive a majority of the penalties from "non-poor" drivers?
I suppose that this may hit quite a few "wealthy" drivers here in immigrant-rich Northern Virginia (who seem to be unable to decipher the most commonly-used street signs), but I'm not sure this will pan out across the rest of the Commonwealth...
Remember, this is a REPUBLICAN saying this. Of course, he's a FAIRFAX republican.
Anyway, the statement is senseless. First, having points on your driving record does not really indicate "abuse" of the roads, just means you got caught doing something the state doesn't want you to do, like maybe rolling through a stop sign when there are no people there at all, or driving 75 on a highway built for 80 but which has a speed limit of 55.
Second, why should people who "abuse" the highway have to pay for their use? This suggests that the "abuse" of the highway somehow makes them more expensive. But that is not the kind of "abuse" we are talking about. SUV's "ABUSE" the highways more than lighter cars, maybe we should tax THEM more. We do in fact tax high-weight vehicles more.
Third, the people with the most points have thier licenses suspended, which means they can't drive on the roads at all. Why should THEY have to pay for the roads?
This is probably the compromise being sought to get out of the budget impasse. Despite my attempt above, nobody is really going to fight to save violators money. They are a "freebie" from a tax perspective. The house doesn't want ANY tax increases, but even the "no-new-taxes" crowd probably will hold their noses and look away if the only new tax is this "sin tax", so it's probably safe.
Forward my tagline.
OUCH - your comments about the Eastern Shore sure hurt........primarily because they are so true.
As a smoker, and someone with a clean driving record, I actually have no problem with the idea of hefty fines on people with 8+ points on their license (how the original legislation was drafted) helping out to balance the budget. Smokers are as a rule law abiding folks, yet we were nailed 2 years ago to balance the budget, so I have no problem with someone else footing the bill this time around. (/sarcastic selfish mode)
In some cities, wrecker services have contracts for accident cleanup including hauling the car(s) and sweeping up such debris and disposing of it.
I think there's a fine for asking that question. You may pay at the window.
Personally think Liberals should pay higher taxes. First, because they want to. . .and secondly, because they are the source of most of our cultural, social and political problems for which we are all dearly paying for. . .
I've been following the ... problems y'all have been having out there with interest, both in the Washington Times, and through your posts. It is rather unfortunate that we can't seem to come up with a solution to your area's problem with illegal immigrant drivers. Any word on how local law enforcement intends to fix things? Or are they just letting the illegals go when they get pulled over?
There is no money???????? We've got a huge surplus.
This "road abuse" fee is part of the same legislation that was going to increase the gas tax.
Totally insane.
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