NEW VIRGINIA SPEEDING FINES EFFECTIVE 1 JULY 2010
New VA tax law goes into affect 1 July 2010. Might want to pass this info around to your friends and families. Cost can accumulate rather swiftly. It only applies to Virginia Residents.
Good information for everyone. Please pass along. In short, 10-15 mph over the posted speed limit is now $3,500 (after a new points tax that was introduced) in the state of Virginia. Here is the link
Virginia Introduces $3550 Speeding Ticket <http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/18/1818.asp>
Virginia Introduces $3550 Speeding Ticket Virginia legislator introduces new speeding ticket tax that boosts penalties beyond $3550, driving business to his traffic law firm.
Virginia motorists convicted of minor traffic violations will face a new, multi-year tax beginning July 1. Led by state Delegate David B. Albo (R-Springfield), lawmakers slipped a driver responsibility tax into a larger transportation funding bill signed by Governor Tim Kaine (D) in April. Albo, a senior partner in the Albo & Oblon, LLP traffic law firm, can expect to see a significant increase in business as motorists seek to protect their wallet from traffic tickets that come with assessments of up to $3000 in addition to an annual point tax that tops out at $700 a year for as long as the points remain.
Driving as little as 15 MPH over the limit on an interstate highway now brings six license demerit points, a fine of up to $2500, up to one year in jail, and a new mandatory $1050 tax. The law also imposes an additional annual fee of up to $100 if a prior conviction leaves the motorist with a balance of eight demerit points, plus $75 for each additional point (up to $700 a year). The conviction in this example remains on the record for five years.
Other six-point convictions include "failing to give a proper signal," "passing a school bus" or "driving with an obstructed view." The same
$1050 assessment applies, but the conviction remains on the record for eleven years.
Although the amount of the tax can add up quickly, the law forbids judges from reducing or suspending it in any way. The tax applies only to Virginia residents, so that out-of-state motorists only need to pay the regular ticket amount. Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Texas also
impose a somewhat more modest driver responsibility tax <
Driver Responsibility Programs Mean Steady Revenue for States <http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/03/362.asp> > which they apply to
out-of-state residents.