I’m back from an out-of-town trip, so I’m catching up on things. I couldn’t overlook this article from the Washington Post. It seems that Virginia may have to issue up to 300,000 license suspensions to drivers for failure to pay abusive driver fees.
A report prepared by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, “paints a picture of a fee system that is almost out of control, with descriptions of some police officers unwilling to write tickets because they are sympathetic to motorists or wary of too much time in court.” Also, write Anita Kumar and Tim Craig:
The report … shows that thousands of motorists are unwilling or unable to pay the fees. As the fees were approved in February, a person convicted of a felony or misdemeanor driving offense has to pay $250 to $1,050 a year for three consecutive years. If the motorist fails to pay, the Department of Motor Vehicles will suspend the person’s driver’s license.
The report estimates there could be 137,000 suspensions because of the fees through the end of June. An additional 181,000 suspensions could occur because of the fees in the next fiscal year. State officials said the projections represent a substantial increase over the numbers of suspensions generally issued, but they could not provide exact figures.
Enough said. No need to beat a dead horse.
(Hat tip: John Betts)