As Cities Try To Generate Revenue Thru Tickets, Are TAXPAYERS Getting Robbed?

You know, I can't think of a more appropriate story given my ticket history in the past two months. Although I have been able to typically talk my way out of them -- my abilities were legendary --, the past month has yielded me a couple of tickets that felt more like a transaction.

I don't mind paying the tickets, especially when I know I've done something wrong. I do have a problem with tickets when the sole purpose is generating revenue because politicians can't effectively manage their jurisdiction's budget.

Although things are bad in the New York tri-state area, I found this story relayed by the National Motorists Association's blog, who sourced it from The Daily Breeze. According to The Breeze, a $100 ticket can easily turn into something nearly five times that!

The reason?

Everyone's take a piece out of the ticket revenue pie.

The problem?

Taxpayers are the ones getting screwed because of it.

OR should we all just slow down?


The Daily Breeze put out a story earlier this week that demonstrates how a $100 traffic ticket can turn into $480 burden.

When motorists in Los Angeles County get a ticket with a base fine of $100, they’re hit with 15 additional penalties and assessments that add an addtional $380 to their bill. Unfortunately, there’s not much hope that these penalties are going away or that the government won’t add even more penalties on top:

To help ease the state’s budget troubles, legislators have added several new assessments to traffic fines since 2009, including a $35 “state conviction fee” and penalties that raise money for new courthouse construction.

Among other increases, state security fees doubled to $40 in recent years, and legislators tacked on a $4 penalty to traffic tickets to fund emergency air transport services due to increased Medi-Cal funding of that service. [...]

Other traffic violation fine penalties have been proposed in the Legislature. They include a $3 fee to go to spinal cord injury research, and an increase to the existing DNA identification fines on all criminal offenses including traffic violations.

[Source: Motorists.org]


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BondMI6 - 6/12/2011 1:40:40 PM

+2 Boost

It's gotten so bad in L.A. that many people just don't pay them and they got to collections.

In a normal economy this kind of Robin Hood days taxing might work.

But in today's climate? Cities are gonna have to find ways to lower than spending in other ways or they'll go broke.

Oh wait. I forgot.

They already are.

skinny - 6/12/2011 3:12:02 PM

+1 Boost

It's simple, if you feel you are getting robbed by paying fines for the following things while driving: Talking on a cell phone, texting, speeding, parking in a no parking zone, parking in a handicap spot when you aren't handicap, running a red light, not using turn signals, THEN DO NOT DO THOSE THINGS.

Avoiding tickets while driving is something each and every driver on the road has 100% control over! Don't break the rules and keep the money in your pocket!