Just saw this info today. I can't believe the cost of "civil fines" . Never had a ticket..and hoping I don't get one.
"They range from $250 to $3,000, depending on the traffic violation, and will be assessed on a variety of misdemeanor traffic violations including being a passenger in a hit and run or the failure to give a proper signal."

http://www.courts.state.va.us/publications/hb_3202.pdf

I am assuming (and yes I know what that does) that those who are in power are trying to send a message. I feel that sometimes hitting ppl in the wallet opens their eyes a little wider.

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Vicki


TLJ Women united in Spirit!

with the bad comes some good for you. Your insurance rates are based on how many accidents, tickets and uninsured drivers in your part of the town or could even be your county. So if these fines help people stop breaking the law and haivng accidents your insurance rates will go down some 'maybe"

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MyCoupons Is #1 for Holiday Shopping

I live in Virginia and I have no problems with the fines going up. People have absolutely no respect for the law when driving around here. (Interstate 81 is a free-for-all). If people obey the law, they won't have to worry about these new fines now, will they?? I notice too that teens talking on cell phones while driving will get ticketed too.

I did notice this when I just renewed one of our vehicles online and noticed the registration fee is going up an extra $10 starting July 1st on pickup trucks -- so that will make it $39.50 next year.

I don't live in Va anymore, but can tell you from memory that I-64 and I-44 are absolute NIGHTMARES with traffic not following established road rules.

I am actually glad fines are going up, because perhaps, as someone else stated...if it hurts your purse you will be less likely to repeat the offense.

As far as registration fees going up, I wish we could only pay $40!!! In Michigan, registration is based on the MSRP of the vehicle when it was new---it NEVER goes down. So for our 1999 van, it costs us $244 a year.

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SPJRNTGADL!

This law wreaks havoc for MANY reasons:

#1 "The law does not apply to out of state residents." The other states must either laugh at these ignorant laws or don't care to enforce them to their residents. Neighboring states have already stated this law is cruel and unusual punishment. The law is not equally applied in that it applies only to residents of virginia. It is therefor suspect under equal portection as stated in the US Constitution

#2 Imposing civil fines on top of criminal law punishment is a violation of federal laws and is currently being discussed.

#3 I'm curious to see how the wreckless driving violations/convictions will increase now compared to past years.

In Virginia, You can be charged with wreckless driving for a variety of reasons. Speeding, tires squeling, swerving, parking area accidents, hitting a deer, etc....So, now if you sneeze and swerve, u get a wreckless driving ticket. You swerve or brake hard to miss an animal, it is wreckless driving. The list goes on and why? To create more income for the va gov't. Undoubtely step up enforcement to bring in as much revenue as possible.

#4 The publicly noted motive.......The motive for fee'sis to increase available funds for highway projects: Mr. Albo says there isn't a road fairy and there a projects that need to be performed that cost millions of dollars and here's how we're going to get the cash.... There isn't a road fairy? What about the already approx 30 cents a gallon we pay in tax on every gallon of gas we buy? Most won't complain about offenders paying more but what about all the revenues being generated that are earmarked for this purpose?

#5 Will the state of Virginia now redefine the definition of reckless driving just to get much more money???? Will the State Police, County and City enforcement officers be advise to write it under "wreckless"???

Okay, I will admit that I have had wreckless driving tickets in the past and they were not pleasant. One I deserved due to my speed and I pled guilty and paid my tickets and lesson learned. A second ticket I received for hitting a deer, this was reduced in court as most of this type are, but under the new law this may or may not be the case. In one aspect, I may could see penalizing repeat offenders, especially where speed is involved, but I can not see this law being ethically or legally right or constructive for purposes other than supplying VA with extra cash.

UGGHH! Okay, I am done with political opinion for the day!

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email is moserlara@yahoo.com

I live in the most congested of Virginia in the Washigton Metro Area and I think it has great merit because trust me I can move exactly 10 miles from my zip code to another in the same area and my car insurance will go down $200 a yr. I hate Driving anymore and I am seldom seen except going up and down my little old Highway Rte.1 and sometimes its all I can do to not curse other drivers out for their stupidity in driving.

I had a drunken driver run into my Mobile Home a few years back. He went running and turns out the car wasnt insured, he had no drivers license, the tags belonged to another car this person owned and he was not legitimately in the USA and the address he used on the registration didnt even exist in this complex. Guess who had to pay for the damage to my home, the hotel stay and the eating out while stuck in a hotel while they re-set it on its foundation and fixed the damage and had to pay for all the re-inspections by the County. Not him but my Homeowners insurance did and we paid the $500 deductible. The little @#$%^^& got off paying nothing never could find him and I think my insurance company was unable to sue and our rates went up. There have been more than 20 incidents in this complex similiar to mine and all of them pretty much same scenario with no insurance, no license or some combination of all of the above. Now in our complex when you renew your lease for your lot you have to submit your drivers license, car insurance and registration and homeowners insurance, title or sales contract with lienholder and if you dont have it they dont renew your lease and give you I think 90 days to rememdy it or they can evict you now it is in your lease you must have all the above.

It does chap my butt that Maryland Drivers who come into VA or DC ones who are infamous for not having car insurance or having vehicles that would not pass the VA State Safety Inspection will not have to pay this additional fee, but if we get a ticket in their jurisdiction it will be reported to VA and points given on our licenses and under this new law if you have more than 8 points on your license you will have to pay a penalty to keep your license.

I think it is a good law meant for those drivers who are always getting tickets and disobeying the law and the penalties are well worth it to teach them a lesson right where it counts in their pockets and the money is supposed to be earmarked to help with construction on our overly congested roads. But there are some things that could be changed I think out of state especially local DC and MD drivers here be forced to pay the money to VA also and their license sin their jurisdictions be dinged until they do so, thousands of them are on our roads going to work everyday. I have been driving 24 yrs in VA and have a meticulous driving record, no tickets, all accidents were others faults and I am paying out the butt for car insurance because of other drivers who cant be bothered to follow the law and I have shopped around and was told its your zip-code move, yeah right easy to say hard to do when nothing is selling now.

Dont get me started on the new car seat laws, they are wrong and mroe children will get hurt, they lifted the weight restrictions on booster seats, once a kid turns 9 they no longer need to be in one. I'm sorry I liked the combo age and weight restrictions better, my DS is almost 9 and he is very petite and a adult seatbelt would more than likely cause severe internal injuries, break a few bones, kill or decapitate him. He will remain in a booster seat if need be until 6th grade if it takes that long to reach 60 pounds. I think its wrong that so many parents pushd to change the laws because they cant feed their children properly and they are weighing 100 pounds by kindergarden not my problem, my son will stay in that booster seat until I feel he is ready to move to a adult seatbelt.

Its a good law and I am anxious to see if it makes a difference in peoples driving habits.

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~ Christine ~
Grammie to Trinity Lorayne Jean Keens Born June 9, 2011 Loving my awesome guitar picking 100% Country Boy boyfriend Kenny !
RIP Daddy~ 01/24/1930-06/01/2007 I miss you !
Dont Think you Can .. know you can ~ Jeff Hardy

Also the new New Age Requirements for Vehicle Booster Seats..sorry I forgot to mention this

Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles

"New age requirements for children to be secured in booster seats take effect July 1 in Virginia. Children riding in motor vehicles will be required to be properly restrained until they reach eight years of age. Currently, the law requires a child safety seat for children through the age of five.

Additionally, the new law requires rear-facing child seats be placed only in the back seat of a vehicle. If the vehicle does not have a back seat, the device may be placed in the front passenger seat, provided the airbag has been deactivated, or there is no airbag equipment."

The new fines are grotesquely unfair because they're not applied to ALL drivers that break the laws -- just the ones that are Virginia residents. It's just another way to tax Virginia residents while pretending the general assembly isn't raising taxes. It's outrageous.