Two University researchers recently released a report stating Virginia's driver fines constitute flawed policy. Their report, "Virginia Abusive Driver Fees: An Abuse of Fines?" claims the policy is trying to achieve conflicting goals: raising revenue through fines while improving drivers' behavior.
The research focuses on a transportation bill passed by the 2007 Virginia General Assembly, which imposes fees on Virginia motorists ranging from $750 to $3,000 for various traffic offenses. The measure was intended to raise funds for Virginia road projects and to deter unsafe driving in the Commonwealth.
"It caused a lot of controversy with a lot of people writing in blogs and signing petitions, so we thought it merited more study to find out more," said John L. Knapp, senior economist at the University's Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.
Knapp said he and W. Grace Ng, a student research assistant at the Cooper Center, explain that expected revenue would not be generated if driving behavior were to change.
"The major purpose in passing legislation is to raise revenue for transportation," Knapp said. "However, the by-product may be that people will drive more safely and the anticipated revenue will not materialize to the expected degree."
Del. David Toscano, D-Charlottesville, said he agrees that the policy is flawed.
"It mixes two divergent goals: increasing safety and funding transport," he said. Toscano added that although he did not support this legislation, he "did not anticipate this level of opposition" from the public.
"This law was put together by Republican legislators in an effort to avoid raising taxes," he said, adding that "the amount of money that would be raised is around $60 million, which amounts to a little more than a one-cent increase on the gas tax."
Martha Mead, manager of Public and Government Affairs for the Mid-Atlantic American Automobile Association, the largest U.S. motorist advocacy group, previously told The Cavalier Daily, however, that the 2007 General Assembly was unlikely to pass a bill raising taxes.
"It was a situation in which lawmakers had to choose the lesser of two evils, because a gas tax could have raised the same funds; however, it was unreal to think that it would pass," Mead said.
Toscano said he expects the abusive driver fine policy will be either "fundamentally replaced or repealed" when the Virginia General Assembly reconvenes.
Knapp, meanwhile, said "more sophistication in designing fines is worth looking into," though he noted a gas tax might be a preferable solution since it would eliminate uncertainties that are related to the abusive driver fines.
The General Assembly is expected to reconsider the bill in January.
Read More
Winsome Earle-Sears talks higher education in first U.Va. event of the campaign
By Ford McCracken | YesterdayA Jamaican immigrant and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Earle-Sears is the first female lieutenant governor of Virginia,
U.Va.'s Earth Day Eco-Fair 2025 spotlights sustainability advocacy
By Leigh Bailey | YesterdayStudents from Contracted Independent Organizations and University Office of Sustainability leadership programs each shared their unique perspectives about sustainability advocacy on Grounds.
Student Council votes to relocate Hereford orchard and basketball hoop
By Lauren Seeliger | YesterdayStudent Council passed a resolution Tuesday to relocate the orchard and basketball hoop of Hereford Residential College due to construction in the surrounding area.
