DENVER — Breaking the law while driving could soon cost you a lot more. State lawmakers taking the first step to increase fines on traffic tickets.
On Tuesday, a house transportation committee passed a bill that viagra double most state fines for moving violations.
“Our fines in Colorado are three times lower than states like Massachusetts and Vermont. We haven’t actually raised traffic fines in about 3 decades in Colorado,” says the bill’s sponsor, Buffie McFayden of Pueblo.
The State Patrol says it wants fines to go up on moving violations that cause crashes, like DUI, unsafe lane changes and speeding.
“We believe this is a tactic, a strategy we’ll employ to reduce our injury fatal rate,” says Terry Campbell, State Patrol legislative liaison. They hope higher fines will lower danger on the roads.
Drivers paying traffic tickets at Denver’s city and county building say the increases are a good idea. “That’s the first one in 8 years [a speeding ticket]. Being a new father with another on the way. I don’t have a problem with that,” says Erik Anderson of Englewood.
“I think I’d be more scared now to be driving or speeding, think I’d be more aware. I’d be like, ‘Oh my God. I have to pay this much,'” says Franci Moldanado of Denver.
“It does hurt the pocketbook. But it would deter me from speeding,” says Ellen Landy-Steward/Denver.
While most tickets would double, some would triple. Here are examples.
-Speeding 10 to 19 miles over the limit, the fine will increase from $50 to $135.
-Running a red light goes from $35 to $100.
-A first DUI conviction would go from a minimum $500 fine to $1,000.
-An unsafe lane change goes from $35 to $100.
-And careless driving jumps from $50 to $150.
The bill also increases from 50% to 75% the money going to the highway users tax fund if the violation happened on a state or federal highway. That money helps fund the State Patrol as well as work on state highways.
The bill now goes to the full House for consideration.
Tammy Vigil, MyFoxColorado.com Reporter
