‘Fixing’ Virginia’s Abusive Driver Fees
(WUSA) — Since the abusive drivers fees went into effect, anger has been mounting across Virginia. And lawmakers have heard it loud and clear.
Delegate Kris Amundson, a Democrat from Mt. Vernon says, “My voters are not saying tweak it, they’re saying, ‘get rid of it!’”
Yet the Republican leaders in the legislature are trying to tweak the abusive driver fee law which can levy fees of up to $3,000 on drivers who commit serious offenses.
Springfield Delegate Dave Albo, an author of the plan, says the fees are already helping to make roads safer and shouldn’t be repealed.
“I have yet to hear from one person who doesn’t think that drunk drivers, people who kill, or hurt people on the highways, shouldn’t pay more,” says Del. Albo.
Albo says the law can be fixed. He says the law shouldn’t be repealed because it’s making roads safer. He also says the whole transportation package, a carefully planned $3 billion compromise between parties to raise money for roads and transit, would fall apart if the abusive driver fees were taken out.
Some of the
But there is concern Virginia will have trouble collecting the fees from out-of-state drivers.
That’s why Governor Tim Kaine removed them from an earlier version of the bill.
And, some say applying the fees to out-of-state drivers will just keep them away and could hurt Virginia tourism.
Amundson says the legislature should admit they made a mistake and start over. She says a one and a half cent increase in the gas tax would make up the $65 million the abusive driver fees would bring in every year.
The fees will be a big issue in November’s election. All 140 seats in the legislature are up for relection on November 6th.
The Republican leaders say the abusive fees are already making the roads safer. They point to a 23% reduction in reckless driving, and an 11% decrease in speeding over last year.
3 Responses to “‘Fixing’ Virginia’s Abusive Driver Fees”
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Anyone who thinks that the “Abusive” driver’s fees have anything to do with “safety” is just not paying attention. The governor and legislature was under pressure to provide money for transportation (things which clearly do not interest them) and not raise taxes (thank you Grover Norquist). The “abusive” drivers fees was the solution. I find it amusing that the government who collects taxes from me and is supposed to protect my rights thinks that the rights of tourists are more important than mine and therefore is willing to protect the rights of drunk drivers careening out of Williamsburg or Mt Vernon or Monticello (because of the revenue they provide), but the rights of Virginians can be ignored. What our so called leaders need to do is go to some of these places that attract tourists and get an object lesson from their betters. For example, constitutional protection against excessive penalties or perhaps (moving ahead a bit) the 14th ammendment which promises equal protection under the law. Our legislators are a special breed who seem to think that it is our interests to make the entire state inferior in rights to anyone from out of state.
As one of Kris’s constituents, I’d just like to back her up:
GET RID OF IT!! Raise the revenue to transportation in a MORE RESPONSIBLE manner!
I am ashamed to have these people represent me in such a manner. They will not admit to there mistake unless it threatens there election. I believe they think they are infallable. It is laughable