Just when I was beginning to think that Abuser Fees were only partially, not totally, bone-headed — see Mike Thompson’s column, “Perhaps We Should Call Them “Safe Street” Fees,” citing a reduction in major traffic citations — along comes my friend Terry Marsh, a Richmond attorney, with yet another reason to dislike them: Many of the offenses that generate fines have nothing to do with dangerous driving at all. He writes:
You can find the Virginia Supreme Court’s list of “Civil Remedial Fees” online here. Take a look at that list and tell me it’s just about abusive driving. “Learner’s permit violation”? “Refusing to drive to weigh station”? “Fail to report accident with less than $250 damage”?
Or, how about these (some of my favorites): knowingly operating a school bus without a safety belt ($300 fine)…. Blocking access to a service area ($300 fine)… Illegal use of a fictitious driver’s license? ($300 fine.) The last one should catch half the teenagers in Virginia! Continues Marsh:
I have a problem with any law the basis of which is fundamentally dishonest. This is a dishonest law. It should be done away with. Pass a new tax if you want, but don’t lie to the public about what you are doing. You engender distaste and disrespect for government. There’s probably enough of that already.