So they're not out to break a speeder's bank like Indiana, but Virginia has created a host of civil fines for speeders that will pay for the state's new annual $1 billion transportation package. That means that after July 1, not only will you get a bill from the judge for speeding, you will then get a much larger bill from the state. Fr'instance, drive without a license, pay $75 to the court and $900 to VA. Do 20 mph over the limit, pay $200 to the court, pay $1,050 to VA. We really love this one: if you have eight points on your license and get a speeding ticket, you'll pay an additional $75 for every point above eight, and another $100 for simply having more than eight points. That smacks of double jeopardy to us, but what do we know?

For the record, almost no one -- and not just speeders -- likes it. Court clerks are expecting to face the anger when people find out about the new fees at the courthouse window. Defense attorneys are getting ready for legal challenges. Judges are expecting people to start pleading not guilty to avoid paying the fees. Which means prosecutors will face more trials.

The "abuser fees" are only for "major" infractions, and only paid by Virginia residents. The new revenue will pay for building roads, snow removal, pothole repair, and grass mowing. David Albo, one of the legislative sponsors of the bill, took New Jersey's similar fee system as a template, and called it "a voluntary tax." After all, "if you don't commit a crime ... you don't pay anything."

Thanks for the tip, Josh

[Source: Washington Post]

Improvements in Virginia brought to you by new fines on speeders originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Jun 2007 10:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Britain's installation of more speed cameras and the swap to digital means they'll catch even more speeders. That's good for the treasury. According to British insurer Swinton, it isn't good for the points system that insurance companies use to set premiums -- there are too many people getting more and more points to make it a useful criteria. So Swinton says it will no longer automatically raise premiums if drivers get points due to speed cameras, saying "points alone can no longer be used as a yardstick for driver evaluation." Currently in Britain, getting 12 points means losing your license. With 6,000 cameras nabbing two million speeders annually, and mobile phone infractions earning three points, Swinton says "a few years ago insurers might have assumed that a motorist with six or more points on their license was a reckless driver, but that is no longer necessarily the case." With the suggestion that drivers with 6 points could be viewed as "standard," six could become the new zero. We can't wait for that kind of sense to make it this way. Allstate? You listening?

[Source: Daily Mail]

British insurer says speed cameras are killing the points rating system originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 May 2007 17:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A man accused of driving at speeds up to 147 mph is about to get his day in court -- and many are looking at the case to challenge the freeway photo enforcement program in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Lawrence Pargo of Goodyear was supposedly running late for work and was caught by speeding cameras on Loop 101 going 102, 105, 128 and 147 mph between 5:47 and 6:20 a.m. The city of Scottsdale and its speeding camera vendor, Redflex Traffic Systems, both say that the readings were accurate; however, an unmodified Sonata is speed limited in accordance with federal regulations to 137 mph. If found guilty, Pargo could face jail time and get his license suspended.

Steve Spence, managing editor of Car and Driver magazine, said that the cameras were likely wrong -- the Hyundai Sonata, he said, topped out at 137 in a test drive for the magazine. And for those who think Pargo may have modified his Hyundai to reach speeds higher than intended, the car wasn't even his, it was a rental.

[Source: East Valley Tribune]

Speed camera catches Hyundai doing the impossible originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Jul 2006 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.