Most readers of this blog know that we consider speeding tickets to be a massive scam. Everybody speeds at some point, it's just a question of what happens to those who do. In Virginia, any speed more than 20 MPH over the speed limit OR any speed above 80 in any zone is charged as reckless driving. That means that at 81 in a 70, drivers face a permanent criminal record, up to a year in jail, AND up to a year of license suspension. How's that for a roulette of bad fortune?!
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NC Senate Leader (and
accused speeder) Phil Berger |
Fortunately for North Carolina Senate Leader Phil Berger, he didn't get caught in Virginia. According to
this recent article, Berger is facing a charge of 77 in a 55. Berger stated that he didn't realize that the speed limit had changed from 65 to 55. That doesn't usually pull a lot of weight in front of most judges, but then most defendants aren't in charge of the State Senate. Of course, he would be facing a reckless driving charge in Virginia at that speed. Ironically, even if he had been in a 65 zone, he still would have been at 12 over the limit, which can get you a criminal charge here.
Also, it looks like the South Carolina legislature may also get up to some mischief by introducing a new type of speeding citation. According to
this recent article, Rep. Todd Rutherford is sponsoring a bill to impose fines of up to $150 for speeding
less than ten miles per hour over the speed limit. The fine is now $15 to $25, but the new proposal is touted as "revenue... in the coffers of the state of South Carolina". At this stage, local governments are so desperate for revenue that they aren't even pretending that speeding tickets are about safety - it's strictly a revenue issue. But at least the new proposal wouldn't result in insurance hikes - the biggest rip off in the speeding scam!
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