[dsenette]

http://articles.mone...dingTicket.aspx

Traffic patrols have long been known as roving tax collectors. But in Virginia, they really are collecting taxes.

Starting July 1, an array of traffic offenses, from expired licenses to speeding, come with a "civil remedial fee" attached. That means a motorist convicted of reckless driving (75 mph in a 55 zone would qualify) faces not only a fine of up to $2,500 and a year in jail, but a non-negotiable $350-a-year tax for three years. The law forbids judges from waiving or reducing the fee.

Many fees dwarf the fines. A driver who disobeys an officer's order to pull into a weigh station would be fined $35 and required to pay a $61 court processing fee. But the civil remedial fee would be $900 over three years.

Drunken driving? A fee of $1,000 a year for three years, plus fines and court costs. No insurance? That's $300 a year for three years, plus fines.

It doesn't stop there. Anyone unlucky enough to have 8 points or more on his license (reckless driving is good for 6 by itself) would pay an additional $100, plus $75 for any points over 8, up to $700 a year. (For a complete list of fee-carrying offenses, see this .pdf file.)

Such "driver responsibility programs" have become increasingly common for two reasons: Many states find that serial offenders make up the bulk of their cases, and they simply need the money. In fact, Virginia added a fee rather than increase fines because it wanted the money to improve its roads, and revenue from fines must go to public schools. The fees are expected to raise $200 million a year.

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Ive gotten two tickets in VA. Very nice state police there. They hide behind broken down vehicles on the side of the road

Well that was one of them, the second one I got, I think the cop was upset cause I passed him on the right doing like 75. Eh, standard NY driving!

[jaxisland]

Ive gotten two tickets in VA. Very nice state police there. They hide behind broken down vehicles on the side of the road

Well that was one of them, the second one I got, I think the cop was upset cause I passed him on the right doing like 75. Eh, standard NY driving!

[dsenette]

VA cops and NC cops are the worst i've found yet...they're all crazy...and the traffic laws are nuts anyway....there's a stretch of 40 that goes through NC to ashville where the speed limit goes from 70 to 55...about 10 feet past that 55 sign there's no less than 7 state troopers sitting in this little bend of the road where you can't see them till you're right on top of them

[jaxisland]

Haha, I know that road. I have to be honest, NC has been kind to me, but I got torn every way but loose in MD. It was 3 am Im driving 70 in a 55 and this trooper drives through the grass median from the othere side to come get me, makes me get out of the car and sit there for almost an hour while we wait for backup.
All because I have NY plates. Its like the south doesnt understand what Upstate NY is, I tried to tell them but they kept thinking Im from the city. That was my worst experience to date.

Edited by jaxisland, 02 July 2007 - 10:52 AM.

[dsenette]

well...that's your own fault for living somewhere as silly as NY....you should move...or change license plates at least...you'd get less hassle

[jaxisland]

Haha true true. Its really a nice state up here. Having the city in the same state is like having that older brother who was a bully in school. So when you come around everyone takes their crap out on you

I wouldnt mind living in NC. Something out on the coast by Oriental or Bayboro.

[dsenette]

I was doing 120mph in a 75 zone.....

But I feel their attention is better served chasing real criminals.

....like someone doing 120 in a 75 perhaps?

[jaxisland]

Dont get me started on cops wasting time. I respect law enforcement but sometimes I wish they found something else to keep busy rather than harrassing people. I got a ticket because during one of our Nor-easter snow storms we were about 2 feet into our 5 feet of snow fall so I went out to my car to start it, so it would defrost. Not 2 mins later a county deputy gave me a ticket for having an unattended vehicle, even though the doors were locked.
I went to court to fight it, and the judge said this, "Ive never seen this before" so I thought I was all set. The judge talks to his assistant and comes back and says ok, guilty $180. For trying to clean snow off my car!!!!

But keep in mind, they will ticket you if you drive around with snow on your car, causing other people to not be able to see. Figure that out.

Edited by jaxisland, 02 July 2007 - 11:11 AM.

[dsenette]

In an area where there was no traffic? Yeah, I belive there are worse criminals out there. I was doing NO harm to anyone....

not gonna get too far into it...but...lets say some kid popped out into the road....or a dog popped out into the road...or a deer popped out into the road? at 120mph in an area rated for 70mph...you woudln't be able to avoid it...and if you could some how swerve enough to miss the "obstacle" you'd either go off the road or flip....either way you wouldn't be talking here today.....

i know speeding tickets and speed traps and the like are all a big hairy pain in the butt (especially when you're only going 5 or 10 over the limit and that idiot in the beemer next to you was going 20 or 30 over)....but they are actually there for a reason...and in most highway cases...the speedlimit is calculated by certain variables on the road and certain constants about vehicular travel....anyone going 120 on an american highway (busy or not) is an idtiot and deserves jail time...

[jaxisland]

120 mph = 176 feet / sec
176 feet / sec = 58.7 yards / sec

Standard human reaction time used in vehicle accidents is 1.5 seconds

So at 120 mph you will travel 264 feet or 88 yards before your body knows to avoid an obstacle.

That means if something did jump out in front of a vehicle moving 120 mph you would go 88 yards before your body would react.

Its scary when you quantify it.

[jaxisland]

You are correct that it is your life. But you have to take into account that your actions affect others around you. If something happens to you while on a public road or in a public building, thats going to affect the people around you especially if someone innocent gets hurt.

Im not your parent and Im not trying to lecture, I think thats just the point that dsenette and I were trying to make.

Thats it no hard feelings