LAWMAKERS are honing in on drivers with thousands in unpaid speeding tickets with a pilot program that will automatically tow.
If you have $3,000 or more in unpaid speeding tickets on the East Coast you may want to pay attention.
Lawmakers in Washington, D.C. are getting tough on drivers who aren’t paying off their speeding tickets with a new law targeting “scofflaws” as part of a new pilot program.
With the region’s vast network of traffic cameras, the city is looking for drivers who owe thousands in unpaid parking tickets.
Their method of forced payback is to find them through the cameras and have them towed immediately and without warning along the Ward 1 streets.
Ward 1 was chosen to be the testing ground for the experiment as “scofflaw” vehicles are more likely to be parked on the street instead of in a garage or a private driveway.
“The license plate readers are able to read the license plate as the enforcement officer is going by and that tells them the person’s status,” Charlie Willson, the director of D.C.’s Vision Zero program, told WTOP news.
“So based on that then they are traveling with a tow truck that can then immediately tow that vehicle.”
The program may expand to other parts of the city if the trial goes well.
And despite the program seeming like a way to earn more money, Willson argues it’s for safety reasons.
He pointed out that there is a direct correlation between multiple unpaid speeding tickets and dangerous driving.
“What we know about our folks who have more violations and outstanding fines is that correlates with risky driving,” he said.
“The goal is to get the risky drivers off the roadway.”
Data from the city stated that drivers with even one ticket for running a red light are at a much greater risk of ending up crashing.
Speeders ticketed for driving 21 mph above the posted limit or more are at greater risk for serious injury or death to themselves and other drivers.
However, officials recognize that drivers without a high sum in unpaid tickets may neglect to claim their vehicle.
Especially if the total is worth more than the vehicle.
How to fight a parking ticket
You can avoid being ticketed by following all posted laws and ordinances, but sometimes mistakes are made
Like any form of citation, parking tickets are preventable by reading and obeying posted signage. However, when visiting a new city, or state, or in a hurry, things can be missed and mistakes are made.
Suddenly there’s a ticket you weren’t prepared to pay for. If the ticket is a surprise to you, there are a few things you can do to help your case when appealing a parking ticket.
- Carefully read the ticket. Look for errors like incorrect street names, license plate numbers, vehicle make and model, time and date, etc. Errors would then make the ticket invalid.
- Take photos. Of the vehicle in the parking space, lack of signage, or other vehicles that weren’t cited for performing the same parking job. If the ticket involves parking too close to something like a fire hydrant, a photo showing a reasonable distance would help your case. Make sure metadata with the time and date are accessible. Signs that are obstructed by trees, or are on bent posts, or aren’t “obvious” are great things to photograph, too.
- Make sure the statute that was violated is listed on the ticket. If not listed, the ticket is not valid.
- Promptly follow the appeal instructions on the ticket. All legitimate tickets will have directions for appeal. Waiting until the very last moment weakens your argument and can result in late fees.
- When in court, avoid these phrases as they reduce your credibility and weaken your argument:
- “I didn’t know the law.”
- “I was on my way to move my car.”
- “I can’t afford this ticket.”
- “I’ve been doing this for years.”
- “I checked with the parking officer, who said it was OK.”
- Contact a lawyer. If you’re running into roadblocks and feel stuck, it may be best to reach out to a traffic lawyer in your area. Many have free case consultations.
Source: Reader’s Digest
In addition, the city legally cannot sell the vehicle until the car has been impounded for longer than 28 days.
The city has implemented other ways to redeem unpaid balances, though, like an increase in booting teams.
After increasing the number of teams from two to 10, nearly 40 vehicles with a collective debt of $92,000 were booted in one neighborhood.
More impound lots have been constructed to hold additional vehicles, too.
Instead of just one impound lot, two are now available, with a third on the back burner if needed.