# Another $50 on the speeding ticket?



## uksi (Jul 30, 2003)

http://www.sciboston.com/news2.htm :



> The proposed [Spinal Cord Injury Trust] will be funded by a $50.00 surcharge to speeding tickets and other moving violations, including drunk driving and reckless driving.


So they are thinking of/planning to add another $50 to the speeding tickets (and other moving violations)... this is now along with the $25 Head Injury Surcharge and another $25 "general fund surcharge" (alternative taxation?).

I wonder how long will it be before we get a laundry list of charities, lining up for their piece of the drivers' pocket. Head Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, what's next... brain injury? Eyesight injury? Red Cross Blood Donation charge?

To me, it's a tax in disguise. There's got to be a better way to support various injury research institutes than through mandatory fees on speeding tickets.

If one gets pulled over for 40 in a 35 zone, that could be a $150 minimum ticket!


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## Macop (May 2, 2002)

Well it could be discretion. I don't many cops that are gonna stop people for 5 over. I say don't incur the surcharge unless the speed is 15 or 20 miles over. Don't apply it to 10 or less over.


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## Deuce (Sep 27, 2003)

How about this Uksi, don't speed and you won't have to worry about it....


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## Burner1 (Jul 30, 2002)

Ever attempt to follow where this money goes? Good luck, no one will talk to you about it. The paper trail is deliberately made difficult to follow. This added fee is a scam made by someone. Like most charities, only a fraction goes to actually helping those that need it most.


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## mpd61 (Aug 7, 2002)

Quit Crying!!!!!!
 

Like Macop says "use discretion" look at history/attitude/location
Remember this is Massachusetts. And if you get stopped, that's were your own conscience will guide you
:wink:


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## 2-Delta (Aug 13, 2003)

For Christ sake, what's next? The "$75 stub your toe fund"?! Or how bout "Keep Santa fat" and add another $50.


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## dfc2502 (Oct 28, 2003)

Here is what I've been using lately. "Instead of writting you a $150 speeding ticket I wrote you for failing to obey a sign, specifically the speed limit sign". 720 CMR 9.06 -- $20

I choose this for a couple reasons: 
a. I hate hidden taxes
b. I have not had a clerk or judge find them NR after seeing the break I gave them, which leads to the additional entry on ther KQ.
c. If they are Joe public they are happy w/ the savings, but if they are Joe Sh#t the rag man they will most likely get stopped and cited again. This way I will nickel and dime them into suspension and get to search on an inventory. The process is a little longer, but it works well.


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## Brian823 (Nov 21, 2003)

*Cites*

Here's a good poll question:

How many miles over do you give a motorist before stopping for speed?

When I did traffic enforcement, I wouldn't look at a car that wasn't 15 miles over. 15 was a warning usually (unless the motorist talked himself into a cite.)

Reasoning: why waste time with a 10 mile over guy when you could have had a high roller.


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## dcs2244 (Jan 29, 2004)

I agree with mt1...a good tool for a better pinch. I like dfc2502's solution for regular lemmings, but I'd gig scumbags for 90-17 (they'll default on the payment anyway!). 

When we were in a radar "wolfpack", we'd give them 15 MPH over. When I used VASCAR while moving, most of my stops were well above 15 MPH over without trying. The VASCAR was great for getting the dangerous speeders: the ones that are passing in all lanes during rush hour and such. I think that the VASCAR was a much more useful speed enforcement tool than radar, and since it gave an average speed, it was more "fair" to the violator. Also, because VASCAR is a passive system, it can't be detected!


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## uksi (Jul 30, 2003)

Was driving 290 W this morning and, right before exit 22 (Shrewsbury), saw some folks just wave over three cars in a row. I think they picked off a car traveling in a left lane, and two leading cars from a "pack" in the middle lane. There were two cruisers parked on the right BDL. Curiously, a minival was parked 8-9 cars lengths further down the BDL. I don't know whether he was waved over too and just stopped later.

I assume that all of them were pulled over for speeding, since the left lane car hit the brakes.

So, for cases like that, do they have radar readings for every car pulled over or do they clock one car and, seeing how the other one was following it, assume that the other one was traveling the same speed?

(I'm not a LEO as you can see , although I used to help out in a NYPD precinct). I'm sure this sounds routine to you folks, pardon the ignorance.


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## j809 (Jul 5, 2002)

I drove by on 290 a few times and saw the MSP Team 55 there. They are using a LIDAR gun.


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## Bluelite75 (Feb 12, 2004)

I agree with DFC2502. I am not a revenue generator for the state. Of course if your a Shi* bird you "make you team".


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