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Abusive Driving Fees
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Manassas, VA - 7/2/07
Update 4/1/08: Great News! This law has been
repealed! Abusive driver fees are no longer in effect. In fact,
if you paid abusive driver fees you are owed a refund by the
DMV.
Virginia
Criminal Defense Attorney Says New Abusive Driver Law
Unfair to Virginians
Virginia's new law adding "abusive driver" fees to many serious
traffic offenses is a burdensome penalty enhancement to what are already
some of the toughest traffic laws in the nation. But what makes them
grossly unfair is that they only apply to Virginia residents, and not to
drivers who are licensed and registered in other states.
The new law, passed as part of a comprehensive transportation bill
earlier this year, adds "abusive driver" fees to charges including
reckless driving, driving on a suspended license, driving under the
influence, and other criminal misdemeanor traffic offenses. But since
the collection mechanism is based on registration renewals, the new fees
will affect only Virginia residents if they are convicted of these
offenses.
"Virginia already has one of the strictest laws on reckless driving
in particular," says Attorney, a Manassas criminal
defense lawyer. "We charge and convict people with a Class 1 misdemeanor
for merely driving 20 miles per hour over the speed limit." "In almost every other state, a person gets a speeding ticket, but we
give them a criminal record for the rest of their lives. And now, we are
piling on punitive fines of more that $1000 in addition."
According to the attorney, "It's clear to me that this is a grossly unfair
excuse to generate extra revenue for the Commonwealth, on the backs of
people with no public support or political constituency - mostly poor
Virginians facing traffic violations." He adds, "In the interest
of fairness, this law should be repealed or substantially scaled back."
We are criminal defense attorney in Virginia who's represented hundreds of people charged with reckless driving, DUI,
and other criminal charges in Virginia. Our web site is
http://www.vacriminaldefenselawyer.com
Further Reference -
DMV page on new fees
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