Free Republic

Californians no longer will face losing their driver's licenses because of unpaid traffic fines starting next month. Gov. Jerry Brown said the punishment doesn't help the state collect unpaid fines and can send low-income people into a cycle of job losses and more poverty.

Left-lane hogs, beware. You could be charged double for failing to keep right under a bill passed Monday by the Assembly. Motorists who clog the left or center lanes instead of using them to pass another vehicle would see fines increase from between $50 and $200 now to between $100 and $300. The bill calls for $50 from each violation going toward signs reminding motorists who enter New Jersey about the state’s stay-right law. “On behalf of road rage, I move the bill,” said Assemblyman Gilbert “Whip” Wilson (D-Camden), a co-sponsor of the measure, which passed 69-7. Aside from drinking...

Battle lines are drawn over lucrative traffic fines An L.A. councilman and a state senator clash over which entity should issue red-light and other citations and keep the money. By Rich Connell 5:14 PM PST, February 12, 2010 In an emerging high-stakes battle fueled by government budget woes, a Long Beach lawmaker is attempting to stop cities from launching what she calls a "raid" on state coffers by collecting and keeping traffic fines. With some tickets now costing more than $500 -- and with most of the money going to the state and the courts -- California municipalities in small...

DRIVERS who are unfit to get behind the wheel through fatigue, illness or use of medicines will be caught and prosecuted using a revolutionary new police computer. As many as 800,000 drivers a year who put themselves and others at risk by driving while tired or on medication face hefty fines and penalty points as a result of the crackdown. Scotland on Sunday can reveal that police scientists are working on a handheld device that will measure drivers' poor coordination through a simple series of roadside tests. While thousands of motorists are prosecuted each year for drink and drug-driving, no...