Were I still a cop, I'd never write another traffic ticket. Long ago, fines ceased being a deterrent to bad driving and became a sneaky, back door revenue generating scheme (euphemism for tax). The base fine for a seatbelt cite used to be 25 bucks. And that's what it should be. Now a hapless motorist pays the base fine and at least another 100 bucks for assessments including court security. I've recently heard that in CA, a red light cite is over 400 bucks. That's legal extortion. The reality is cited motorists are forced to underwrite politicians' projects that they use to get reelected.

That BS about increased insurance premiums and medical costs is BS. It's Kool-Aid stuff. Neither have gone down. They've gone up along with revenue generating schemes.

I'd get behind a ballot initiative that would cap ALL first traffic infractions at 50 bucks, period. No BS penalty assessments. And all first time traffic misdemeanors at 500 bucks, period. Since Americans are allegedly innocent until proven guilty, court trials would be set at a reasonable date and time convenient for the alleged violator, and the motorist can plead not guilty over the 'net using the cite number. That way he doesn't have to miss two days' work to fight a cite.

Finally, and as other posters have indicated, this is not a nanny state. We don't need government to protect us from ourselves.


�If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.�
***US President James Madison***