Beware Virginia Drivers!!!

[EmmaG, RN]

beginning july 1st:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/22/ar2007062201781.html?hpid=topnews

attention virginians: the cost of bad driving is about to go up. way up.

say you are driving 78 mph on the capital beltway and a state trooper tickets you for "reckless driving -- speeding 20 mph over." you will probably be fined $200 by the judge. but then you will receive a new, additional $1,050 fine from the old dominion, payable in three convenient installments. so convenient that you must pay the first one immediately, at the courthouse.

first-time drunk driver? a $300 fine from the judge and a $2,250 fee from the commonwealth.

driving without a license? maybe a $75 fine. definitely a $900 fee from virginia.

as part of the plan to fund the annual $1 billion transportation package approved this year, state legislators endorsed a new set of "civil remedial fees" for all misdemeanor and felony traffic violations, such as speeding 20 mph above the limit, reckless driving and, in some cases, driving with faulty brakes. drivers with points on their licenses -- a speeding ticket usually earns four points -- will be hit for $75 for every point above eight and $100 for having that many points in the first place.

these 'fees' only apply to virginia residents.

whoa...

[anonymurse]

Wow, a fund-raiser for a billion bux wortha road contracts. The legislature must have a whole lotta bros-in-law and cousins to support. They tried to institute a permanent 1% sales tax hike for the same purposes, but the taxpayers killed that fast. This time, no voters to get in the way. Maybe we should replace unit bake sales with "surcharges" for med noncompliance, fall risks getting out of bed without ringing first, and so on, eh?