A State Budget That Expects Drivers to Drive Recklessly

If everyone in Virginia drove under the speed limit, the state budget would be in shambles.

I always thought that the purpose of laws was to ensure that everyone lived in a safe, secure society without intruding upon the rights of others. A society needs money, of course, so it’s fair game to have a few laws that assure the government of tax revenue.

Now, the State of Virginia is implementing laws to tap into drivers’ wallets — a minor traffic violation is seen as a major opportunity to extract cash for the state’s coffers. To be fair, we always knew traffic tickets were much less a way to keep the streets safe, and really a way to fill the state’s coffers. But now they’re going all out. If you’re speeding, you’re slapped with a bill to the tune of $1,050 for building new roads in Virginia. There seems to be no correlation between the level of “crime” and the level of fine imposed. The amount is dictated by the current deficit in the transportation budget.

You would think that being in labor might excuse you from this burdensome tax; you’d be wrong. Everybody’s doing it, even the politicians who enacted laws like this.

The Senator who pushed for these laws expects them to bring in revenue between $65m—$210m annually. So if I get this correctly, they’re enacting a budget that depends on people breaking the law. What if everyone decided to stick it to The Man and drove under the speed limit?

And to round off the absurdity, if you’re not a resident of Virginia, you do not pay these taxes. Further proof that these are taxes rather than a fine for a traffic violation. That makes them unconstitutional too.