Do Tickets Actually Make The Roads SAFER Or Are They Just A REVENUE Generator?

As I have been unhappy to report, I've had a few run-ins with the law. It wasn't for anything serious, just tickets on the road. Some times they were for something silly, like tints, and other times they were issued for actions I take full responsibility for, like speeding. But when you're in the court room and there's 100 plus people joining you in the fun, it's oh-kay to wonder:

Is this just another way for municipalities to generate a buck?

This thinking is furthered on by the prosecutor's actions, which will almost always consist of meeting with every single driver before their time in front of the judge to cut them a "deal." Usually it goes something like this: Essentially, the prosecutor offers a deal where no DMV points will be added to your license provided you pay a significant premium over the original violation's cost. Considering most people are hard working guys like you and I, we take the bait and pony up the bills. You certainly don't want to have the insurance company jack up your rate.

And we're sure the government would say they're doing YOU a favor by offering such a service AND that this methodology will make driver's think twice before they act next go 'round, I will say this: it hasn't changed ONE thing about the way I drive.

So, do YOU think that tickets make the roads SAFER or is it just another REVENUE generator for cash-strapped jurisdictions?

pcar4evr - 6/20/2014 1:41:15 AM

+1 Boost

A little lesson I learned about living here in good old NJ. I pleaded down from a 3 point speeding ticket to a 0 point "careless driving for road conditions" charge. Paid the extortion at the local court (about $400) and went happily on my way convinced that this would be alot cheaper since it wouldn't affect my insurance rates. But to my surprise, my rates went up anyhow. Reason: because the 0 point ticket doesn't go against your driving record, but is recorded as "insurance points". Couple this 0 point ticket with a bogus one my daughter got(who was on my policy at the time) and I exceeded the "insurance point" threshold, so rates go up for 3 years (roughly = $1000/yr).

Agent00R - 6/20/2014 2:04:59 AM

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Indeed! I found out about the "insurance point" thing after a little pit stop as well.

I wonder if this "insurance point" nonsense is a new thing that just happened in recent years or if this has been around all along. Only became a problem for me in past two years.

pcar4evr - 6/20/2014 1:47:07 AM

+1 Boost

And to answer your question - I do not think people driver any safer or smarter in NJ because of police presence. The drivers who should get stopped rarely do; the drivers that are unlucky and get stopped for minor violations keep the revenue flow coming. I often think of tickets as an undeclared road tax - a "cost of living" in an underfunded, overcrowded state.

Agent00R - 6/20/2014 2:06:01 AM

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Completely agree about your statement regarding tickets as an undeclared road tax.

jeffy210 - 6/20/2014 10:03:11 AM

+2 Boost

Check out this article: http://tech-beta.slashdot.org/story/14/05/20/1752254/driverless-cars-could-cripple-law-enforcement-budgets

"Approximately 41 million people receive speeding tickets in the U.S. every year, paying out more than $6.2 billion per year, according to statistics from the U.S. Highway Patrol published at StatisticBrain.com. That translates to an estimated $300,000 in speeding ticket revenue per U.S. police officer every year. State and local governments often lean on this source of income when they hit financial trouble. A study released in 2009 examined data over a 13-year period in North Carolina, finding a 'statistically significant correlation between a drop in local government revenue one year, and more traffic tickets the next year,' Popular Science reported."

nguyenvuminh - 6/20/2014 10:04:59 AM

+2 Boost

I would say it's both; i.e. it is a revenue generator and it does make the road safer. Here in California I see immigrants from other countries that change their driving behavior dramatically (for the better) once they get those tickets. Now US-born citizens, I'm not too sure whether they change their driving behavior after getting ticked couple of times but I know the newcomers learn very quickly.

ATrain - 6/21/2014 9:26:47 AM

+1 Boost

Agree with you, nguyenvuminh

It clearly is a revenue generator but it also sets a mental limit on what you will do.

For example, I track my cars from time-to-time. There, I 'floor it'. No restraint. I don't worry about damage, I just focus on control and other cars on the track. However, if I'm driving at a time where few cars are also on the road, e.g. early or late, I will not floor it. I may drive faster but not anywhere near 9/10th. Why? What if... there's a cop around the bend.

Just one man's perspective.

MattDarringer - 6/20/2014 12:27:55 PM

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It's revenue. The BEST way to do speed control is to have officers pacing traffic.

MorePower - 6/20/2014 10:13:07 PM

+1 Boost

Speeding tickets = Revenue from citizens that vote through legislation lowering the amount of funds legislatures receive from tax adjustments.

leej - 6/22/2014 1:00:31 PM

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If a ticket saves a single life because it taught that person a lesson, then I say they are priceless. Tickets are also a source of legitimate revenue...think of it as a 'stupid people tax'.

Holydude - 7/23/2014 11:24:52 AM

+1 Boost

Autobahn, enough said. (God I love German highways...)