Posted on 06/27/2007 11:35:12 AM PDT by bad company
Virginia motorists convicted of minor traffic violations will face a new, multi-year tax beginning July 1. Led by state Delegate David B. Albo (R-Springfield), lawmakers slipped a driver responsibility tax into a larger transportation funding bill signed by Governor Tim Kaine (D) in April. Albo, a senior partner in the Albo & Oblon, LLP traffic law firm, can expect to see a significant increase in business as motorists seek to protect their wallet from traffic tickets that come with assessments of up to $3000 in addition to an annual point tax that tops out at $700 a year for as long as the points remain.
"The purpose of the civil remedial fees imposed in this section is to generate revenue," the new law states. (Virginia Code 46.2-206.1)
Driving as little as 15 MPH over the limit on an interstate highway now brings six license demerit points, a fine of up to $2500, up to one year in jail, and a new mandatory $1050 tax. The law also imposes an additional annual fee of up to $100 if a prior conviction leaves the motorist with a balance of eight demerit points, plus $75 for each additional point (up to $700 a year). The conviction in this example remains on the record for five years.
Other six-point convictions include "failing to give a proper signal," "passing a school bus" or "driving with an obstructed view." The same $1050 assessment applies, but the conviction remains on the record for eleven years.
Although the amount of the tax can add up quickly, the law forbids judges from reducing or suspending it in any way. The tax applies only to Virginia residents, so that out-of-state motorists only need to pay the regular ticket amount. Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Texas also impose a somewhat more modest driver responsibility tax which they apply to out-of-state residents.
The Virginia Supreme Court provides a full explanation of the new penalties for each traffic infraction in the 34k PDF file at the source link below.
See the 7th amendment to the constitution.
If speed limit laws are to be even remotely fair, they should take the difference between the driver's speed and the 80th percentile speed of ambient traffic (or of other drivers under similar conditions, if ambient traffic is too sparse for meaningful measurement). If a road is posted at 55mph and everyone's doing 55 except for one motorist doing 70, that motorist is probably posing a hazard. But if on a different road posted 55mph all motorists are doing 70mph or even 75mph, the fact that so many motorists are doing that speed would suggest it is not hazardous.
wonder when they will use this as an excuse to bar a firearm purchase?
How about restricting speed enforcement to speeds a certain absolute amount above the 80th percentile? If even 20% of the motorists on a stretch of road regard 73mph or higher as a safe speed, 76mph probably isn't terribly dangerous.
You’re assuming that the revenue-hungry tyrants a) understand, b) give a damn, and c) would allow such a thing to us proles.
If you obey the freakin’ traffic laws, you’ve got nothing to worry about.
You got that right-65 on the 64 or 264 gets you run over. Don’t know about the rest of the state, but they’ll be cleaning up in Hampton Roads.
This is another demnstration of the contempt the politicans have for the peasants.And I suppose it is only fitting that they should, because after all, it was the peasants that put them where they are.
Just stay the hell away from Virginia and if you must live there don’t drive more thanis absolutely necessary.
As usual, such garbage gets passed because in the overwhelming majority of cases, legislators simply do not READ the very bills they vote for. At best, they may have a staffer read it and provide a brief summary.
Countless laws have been enacted this way. Some moron tacks on a rider, no one catches it til it’s passed into law........voila! Constituents are stuck and it takes one HELL of a lot to get such trash back off of the books.
Insanity.
The last time I had a speeding ticket was 1984 in Texas, I was in charge of maintaining an oil drilling rig that had a sudden emergency problem and I was literally racing to get to it it, I have currently a CDL and I drive concrete mixers in Alaska, my personal vehicle is a Silverado dually. My next new car purchase will be a Corvette, I drive aggressivly but also defensively like NOT allowing a small car to make me pull off to the rough side of the road when I am fully loaded just to let them pass, I do routinely drive at least 5 mph over the posted speed limit or more in isolated straight rural areas, in town I always obey the speed limit, I do not feel any less of a man for doing so. The actual biggest amount of problem drivers are not teenagers or illegal aliens but soccer moms in SUVs on cell phones.
I am not an interstate truck driver nor am I a NASCAR wannabe and I see accidents all the time, here in Alaska its mostly DUI and moose collisions, I wish we had these controversial fines here and let that money be channeled back into road improvements. For all of those whining about their freedom of rights to flagrantly disobey the laws made to protect all I say STF up, you want places to go fast? Go move to the outback of Australia then and be a Mad Max.
Why not just turn I-64 and I-95 into toll roads and be done with it? At least then the burden is spread evenly, and the people who use the roads the most pay the most for maintaining them.
So you’re the slowpoke who was holding things up :-)
A speeding ticket in Virginia?? Now that is something new ... or is it?
"If you aren't doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about" freaking amazing.
This story brightens my day. More deaths are caused by speeders than by drunk drivers. It’s about they get treated the same way.
The ridiculous and hated 55 limit engendered a well deserved contempt for speed limit laws that is alive and well today. Stupid laws beg for people to violate them. Getting people to violate the law apparently the intent of the VA law since the whole thing is just about another way for the government to tax you.
Robbers and Attorneys - the composition of our legislatures.
Basically a straw man argument. One of my tickets was on a road that was downgraded from 45 to 35 with a sign on a blind curve (since fixed). Now that the revenue has dried up, they have downgraded it to 25. I don't feel any more of a man for getting that ticket, I feed like a f'ing sheep for not fighting it and now getting charged retroactively.
Basically a straw man argument. One of my tickets was on a road that was downgraded from 45 to 35 with a sign on a blind curve (since fixed). Now that the revenue has dried up, they have downgraded it to 25. I don't feel any more of a man for getting that ticket, I feed like a f'ing sheep for not fighting it and now getting charged retroactively.
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