by admin — published on January 9th, 2010
Speeding and parking tickets in the UK will soon rise by $24 as the government imposes a new tax to help address a growing budget shortfall.
British officials are making plans to impose a tax on speeding and parking citations this year in an effort to raise money to cover a growing budget deficit. (Robbing Peter to pay Paul?) Secretary of State for Justice Claire Ward announced the plan in a written answer to a question posed by Member of Parliament Greg Knight. The new revenue would be labeled as a “victims’ surcharge.”
“It is Government policy that, where possible, offenders should contribute to victims‘ services as part of their reparation. Provisions were therefore included in the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 providing for a surcharge to be payable on criminal convictions, penalty notices for disorder and on fixed penalty notices for road traffic offenses where the offenses are persistent and serious,” Ward said. “We intend to add the surcharge to other disposals as soon as it becomes feasible to do so.”
The tax, which currently stands at US $24, would be imposed on all forms of speeding and parking tickets. Given that there were 1,462,235 speed camera citations issued in 2007, the plan would generate an extra US $35,020,571 from the increase in the cost of a ticket from US $96 to $120. Expanding the fee to cover parking tickets and other non-moving violations would more than double that figure.
The victims’ surcharge was first created in April 2007 as a means of forcing violent criminals to compensate their victims. The fee would now be imposed on motorists whose technical violations — overstaying at a parking meter, forgetting to wear a seatbelt or driving a few MPH over the limit — have no victims.
The UK move follows a global trend. Last week, Georgia became the latest US state to turn toward speeding ticket surcharges as a means of balancing the budget. Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Texas have similar programs
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by admin — published on January 8th, 2010
More than a year after Arizona became the first state in the country to deploy dozens of speed cameras on highways statewide, threats to the groundbreaking program abound.
An photo enforcement van in Arizona lights up a speeding car while recording its license plate.
Profits are far below expectations, a citizen effort to ban the cameras is gaining steam, the governor has said she does not like the program, and more and more drivers are ignoring the tickets they get in the mail after hearing from fellow speeders that there are often no consequences to doing so.
“I see all the cameras in Arizona completely coming down ” in 2010, said Shawn Dow, chairman of Arizona Citizens Against Photo Radar, which is trying to get a measure banning the cameras on the November ballot. “The citizens of Arizona took away the cash cow of Arizona by refusing to pay.”
The Arizona Department of Public Safety introduced the cameras in September 2008 and slowly added more until all 76 were up and running by January.
Supporters say the cameras slow down drivers and reduce accidents, but opponents argue that they are intrusive and are more about making money than safety.
More than 300 communities in 25 states use cameras similar to Arizona’s, including New York, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. But the backlash seems to be particularly intense in Arizona. Some people have shown their distaste with the cameras by covering them with boxes, sticky notes and Silly String. In locally infamous cases, one man took a pickax to a camera and another purposefully set off the cameras dozens of times while wearing a monkey mask. Read the rest of this entry »
by admin — published on January 7th, 2010
Ticket camera corporations like to put out press releases and pay for biased surveys that show that ticket cameras are well-liked by the general public. The reality is that this is far from the truth. This is borne out by the fact that no ticket camera program has ever survived a public vote.
Thankfully, speed cameras are fairly rare in the United States right now (and will hopefully continue to be) but in Europe — and particularly in the United Kingdom — they are being used extensively.
So, how has the public reacted in these countries? Take a look at this list below, which was compiled from the 2009 archives of TheNewspaper.com. Let’s just say they haven’t exactly received a warm welcome:
UK: Somerset Speed Camera Scorched (12/13/09)
Vigilantes destroy Somerset, UK speed camera with gasoline-soaked tire.
UK, The Netherlands: Speed Cameras Destroyed, Gift-Wrapped (12/6/09)
UK speed camera burns while Dutch cameras are gift wrapped on St. Nicholas Eve.
France, Germany, Italy: Speed Cameras Burned, Blinded, Bombed (11/29/09)
Three cameras in Germany, two in France and one in Italy were destroyed or damaged this week.
Dorset, UK Speed Camera Destroyed by Fire (11/15/09)
Vigilantes in Dorset, England take out a speed camera with a burning tire.
UK: Surrey Speed Camera Burned (10/25/09)
Vigilantes set fire to a speed camera in Surrey, England.
Speed Cameras Attacked in Finland, Poland and Wales (10/11/09)
Explosives destroy speed camera in Northern Finland, Welsh authorities report 102 camera attacks and Polish speed camera burned.
Read the rest of this entry »
by admin — published on January 5th, 2010
Only 11 states in the U.S. have laws regarding speed traps. Although these operations are usually set up to provoke safer driving in areas that are prone to speeding, they aren’t always a good thing.
If you’re a driver who’s been caught speeding as a result of a speed trap setup, you may be angered and upset that you were set up like that. The easiest and most obvious way to avoid being the victim of a speed trap would be to simply drive the speed limit. However, there are some areas across the nation where the speed limit is grossly under-posted, and you may not be aware of how fast you are supposed to be going. Additionally, most speed limits are prevailingly ignored, and traffic moves at its desired flow, regardless of posted limits. Thus, if you are in an unknown city or area, you might be caught in a speed trap due to being under-informed or unaware of your surroundings. Still, not an excuse, but it happens.
Every state has laws regarding posted speeds, and what speeds should be in different areas. For example, in most cities and downtown areas, the average speed is 25 mph, as it is in most residential neighborhoods (In Texas, it’s 30 mph). However, when you are in a commercial area, depending on the specific location, speed limits will usually be set at 35-40 mph. Highway speeds generally range between 55-60 mph for state highways, and 65-75 for interstate highways, again depending on your location. Check your local state laws for more information on speed limits in your state.
If you’re traveling to an unfamiliar place, and want to avoid being the wrongful victim of a speed trap, you should research laws in that area and ensure you are informed as to what speeds are acceptable in which areas. Additionally, you can consult the Speed Trap Exchange, sponsored by the National Motorists Association, for a list of known speed traps across the country, categorized by state: Speed Trap Listings by State. This site not only allows you to view various speed traps as reported by other drivers, but you are also able to report any speed traps that you are aware of, if they aren’t already listed. Read the rest of this entry »
by admin — published on January 2nd, 2010
A New Year’s resolution to ease off the gas pedal could spare lead-foot drivers hundreds of dollars – and make roads safer.
Starting Friday, Jan. 1, a new state law in Georgia will tack on an additional $200 fee to any local fine received for a speeding conviction. The “Super Speeder Law” is aimed at “high-risk” drivers whose speed are deemed threats to fellow motorists.
Georgia averages one speed-related death a day, according to the official “Super Speeder” Web site.
“That makes speeding a habitual disaster just waiting to happen,” said Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Director Bob Dallas in a statement. “But it’s one of life’s bad habits that can and should be kicked.”
The added fine will be applied for any driver convicted of speeding at 75 mph or more on any two-lane road or 85 mph and over anywhere in the state.
Sheriff Richard King encourages motorists to drive safely.
“The best thing to do is to keep a watch on the speedometer,” he says. “If you watch your speed, you won’t have to worry about being a super speeder.”
Getting slapped with the new fee might feel like a double-whammy. A driver will get the initial speeding ticket from the local jurisdiction, only to receive a letter of notice for the state fine. Read the rest of this entry »
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