Traffic ticket costs

[SunnyD]

My wife got a ticket last month, and I was just perusing on it's payment, and I came across a schedule of fines which included our violation (improper tags).

The ticket itself is $133. Once digging, I found out that the actual citation fine for improper tags is $25, plus $108 in "court fees".

Digging a little deeper, I found a breakdown of these "court fees", and determined absolutely none of them have any thing to do with the ticket, charge or actual court fees (okay, maybe the "Fair Trial Tax"), but are padding to various municipal funds.

Adv. Tech Data - $3.00
Correction Fund - $35.50
Crime Victim?s - $2.00
DNA Database - $2.00
Fair Trial Tax - $16.00
Municipal General Fund - $15.00
Municipal Training - $2.00
POA Fund - $3.00
State Drivers Fund - $8.50
State General Fund - $21.00
Totals - $108.00

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about the ticket itself - but whoa, the riders on the ticket are more than 4x the fine for the infraction itself? No wonder us Americans think litigation is the American way!

 

[Farang]

does ur wife paint her toenails

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: Farang
does ur wife paint her toenails

WTF?

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Personally, I think adding all the fees to the fines should be illegal, but who are you going to complain to?

 

[glenn beck]

Originally posted by: SunnyD

Originally posted by: Farang
does ur wife paint her toenails

WTF?

well answer the question

oh and pics of said wife

 

[Gooberlx2]

DNA database? Wow...what a load of bullshit.

 

[TwiceOver]

Just be happy you don't live in MN. Would have been 5x to 10x as much.

 

[evident]

for minor infractions, traffic tickets and traffic court is one of the biggest fraud process in america today dude, not much you can do about it.

 

[SunnyD]

The part that gets me is that you still have to pay these so-called "court related fees" even if you just send the ticket in and don't go to court.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
Personally, I think adding all the fees to the fines should be illegal, but who are you going to complain to?

The people that make the laws!!!

oh...wait. I get it now.

 

[alkemyst]

you took a $25 ticket to court?

 

[Krazy4Real]

Originally posted by: SunnyD

Originally posted by: Farang
does ur wife paint her toenails

WTF?

LOL! Critical information that you can't leave out of your post.

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
you took a $25 ticket to court?

Did you not read?

 

[Exterous]

Originally posted by: glenn beck

Originally posted by: SunnyD

Originally posted by: Farang
does ur wife paint her toenails

WTF?

well answer the question

oh and pics of said wife

lol

The 'padding' really doesn't suprise me - ticket revenue goes to the state anyway so why shouldn't the state break up the funds ticket by ticket?

 

[Pepsei]

go to court, and get it dismissed with proof of proper tags.... and then all you have to pay is the court fees... hmmmmmm

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: Pepsei
go to court, and get it dismissed with proof of proper tags.... and then all you have to pay is the court fees... hmmmmmm

Wow, good point! I never even thought about it from that angle... damned if you do, damned if you don't!

 

[LS21]

Originally posted by: Pepsei
go to court, and get it dismissed with proof of proper tags.... and then all you have to pay is the court fees... hmmmmmm

court fees are only levied if you are found guilty

 

[mugs]

Lol@ Fair Trial Tax.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I guess I've been fortunate, they still had amnesty days back when I racked up 13 tickets in a 3 month period in California. Now in Arizona, the traffic fines are greatly reduced if you pay the fine in person as opposed to mailing in the fine. The court clerks job is to reduce the court load so, all you have to do is plead innocent of some part of the offense on the day of the court appearance and the fine is magically reduced.

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: mugs
Lol@ Fair Trial Tax.

Yea, WTH is that? You have to pay for your constitutional protections?!?!

 

[evident]

Originally posted by: lxskllr

Originally posted by: mugs
Lol@ Fair Trial Tax.

Yea, WTH is that? You have to pay for your constitutional protections?!?!

in some local court i went to in new jersey, i saw people who brought in fix it tickets or proof of insurance tickets and got their ticket removed, they still had to pay a $40 court fee. no im not exagerating the price. $40 to defend yourself and show up to court. and the courthouse was decked out in christmas, w/ 5 trees, an a ton of pointsettias everywhere. and they make all the traffic cases who dont have lawyers wait till the end, after traffic court with lawyers, and real criminals go through their process. if you decide you want a full trial, they make you go back when the cop is available.

it's a total sham.

 

[slsmnaz]

Originally posted by: evident

Originally posted by: lxskllr

Originally posted by: mugs
Lol@ Fair Trial Tax.

Yea, WTH is that? You have to pay for your constitutional protections?!?!

in some local court i went to in new jersey, i saw people who brought in fix it tickets or proof of insurance tickets and got their ticket removed, they still had to pay a $40 court fee. no im not exagerating the price. $40 to defend yourself and show up to court. and the courthouse was decked out in christmas, w/ 5 trees, an a ton of pointsettias everywhere. and they make all the traffic cases who dont have lawyers wait till the end, after traffic court with lawyers, and real criminals go through their process. if you decide you want a full trial, they make you go back when the cop is available.

it's a total sham.

I recently had a speeding ticket dismissed but the judge still had me pay $61 court costs. I figure I come out better in the long run anyway

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: evident

Originally posted by: lxskllr

Originally posted by: mugs
Lol@ Fair Trial Tax.

Yea, WTH is that? You have to pay for your constitutional protections?!?!

in some local court i went to in new jersey, i saw people who brought in fix it tickets or proof of insurance tickets and got their ticket removed, they still had to pay a $40 court fee. no im not exagerating the price. $40 to defend yourself and show up to court. and the courthouse was decked out in christmas, w/ 5 trees, an a ton of pointsettias everywhere. and they make all the traffic cases who dont have lawyers wait till the end, after traffic court with lawyers, and real criminals go through their process. if you decide you want a full trial, they make you go back when the cop is available.

it's a total sham.

I don't think you should have to pay court costs for an offense you didn't commit, but I don't see a problem with court costs for fix-it tickets and proof of insurance tickets. Fixing the problem with your car doesn't change the fact that your car had some problem that made it illegal to drive at the time you got the ticket. Showing proof of insurance doesn't change the fact that you drove without proof of insurance. As far as I know it is not sufficient to just insure your car, you actually have to have proof of insurance with you in order to drive it.

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: MagnusTheBrewer
I guess I've been fortunate, they still had amnesty days back when I racked up 13 tickets in a 3 month period in California. Now in Arizona, the traffic fines are greatly reduced if you pay the fine in person as opposed to mailing in the fine. The court clerks job is to reduce the court load so, all you have to do is plead innocent of some part of the offense on the day of the court appearance and the fine is magically reduced.

Yeah, unfortunately the actual fine is $25 from what I can tell. I'm sure that's how they get around this - they'll be happy to waive the $25 fine but you'd probably still get stuck with the $108 in fees.

All the while, that particular jurisdiction's police department website is showing off their brand new patrol car... yeah... it's a Porsche. I'm not joking.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Originally posted by: SunnyD

Originally posted by: MagnusTheBrewer
I guess I've been fortunate, they still had amnesty days back when I racked up 13 tickets in a 3 month period in California. Now in Arizona, the traffic fines are greatly reduced if you pay the fine in person as opposed to mailing in the fine. The court clerks job is to reduce the court load so, all you have to do is plead innocent of some part of the offense on the day of the court appearance and the fine is magically reduced.

Yeah, unfortunately the actual fine is $25 from what I can tell. I'm sure that's how they get around this - they'll be happy to waive the $25 fine but you'd probably still get stuck with the $108 in fees.

All the while, that particular jurisdiction's police department website is showing off their brand new patrol car... yeah... it's a Porsche. I'm not joking.

No, that's what I'm saying. You pay the fine here but, not the court costs.