California to stop suspending licenses for traffic fines (Los Angeles, Sacramento: insurance, crime)

[jm1982]

What do you think ? It seems like this is one more thing to make people not take laws seriously .

Driving is privilege not a right .

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SACRAMENTO >> Californians will no longer face losing their driver's licenses because of unpaid traffic fines starting next month.

Gov. Jerry Brown said the punishment doesn't help the state collect unpaid fines and can send low-income people into a cycle of job losses and more poverty.

California to stop suspending licenses for traffic fines

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by jm1982

What do you think ? It seems like this is one more thing to make people not take laws seriously .

Driving is privilege not a right .

--
SACRAMENTO >> Californians will no longer face losing their driver's licenses because of unpaid traffic fines starting next month.

Gov. Jerry Brown said the punishment doesn't help the state collect unpaid fines and can send low-income people into a cycle of job losses and more poverty.

California to stop suspending licenses for traffic fines

Hey, it is CA, just be laid back and not worry, as the Laws are really just suggestions for those who want to obey them.

The State just cares about ................... money.

[hxr16]

The State just cares about ................... money.
Exactly...

[V8 Vega]

So if your a responsible person and pay your fine your out the money. But if your a deadbeat and forget about it nothing happens to you.
We have a two tiered justice system, one for you and me, and another for the poor and illegals.

[Chava61]

Originally Posted by jm1982

What do you think ? It seems like this is one more thing to make people not take laws seriously .

Driving is privilege not a right .

--
SACRAMENTO >> Californians will no longer face losing their driver's licenses because of unpaid traffic fines starting next month.

Gov. Jerry Brown said the punishment doesn't help the state collect unpaid fines and can send low-income people into a cycle of job losses and more poverty.

California to stop suspending licenses for traffic fines

Well it would make sense if there were a different sanction in place instead of the fines.

[tickyul]

Driving is a right, it has been ruled-so many times in various different courts. Just because some power-hungry, government-drone likes to bleat that line about "driving is a privilege" does not make it true.

And yes, a right is not absolute and can be regulated, see freedom of speech.

Public roadways.....and a government arbitrarily says Mr. Jones cannot drive on the public-roadways because, well, just because we feel like stopping him from doing so............NOPE.

I believe CA is well within their right to suspend DLs for non-payment of fines, no more draconian that booting and/or towing a vehicle for fines.......that is done in quite a few cities, mainly in the east.

[Carlyee3]

CA is being run by idiots. First they release thousands of convicts into the cities because they do not have room for them in prison, so they say. Some were murderers. Then, they make smash and grab a misdemeanor, down from a felony. Duh, this crime is up by double digits. Next, they want to fund illegals who get grabbed by INS and deported. Now, forget the fines for traffic offenses.

But, wait, wait, they want to turn all law abiding gun owners who have magazines over 10 rounds. They are going to enforce this? Screw them and don't obey. The state is about ready to become Venezuela Norte. Build the wall around the state and don't let anyone out.

[BurnInTheMil]

The state just cares about money, but yet has absolutely no money. How great is that!

[JGC97]

Originally Posted by tickyul

Driving is a right, it has been ruled-so many times in various different courts. Just because some power-hungry, government-drone likes to bleat that line about "driving is a privilege" does not make it true.

And yes, a right is not absolute and can be regulated, see freedom of speech.

Public roadways.....and a government arbitrarily says Mr. Jones cannot drive on the public-roadways because, well, just because we feel like stopping him from doing so............NOPE.

I believe CA is well within their right to suspend DLs for non-payment of fines, no more draconian that booting and/or towing a vehicle for fines.......that is done in quite a few cities, mainly in the east.

Thank you. I think many still think it's a privilege but it really is a right which the U.S. Supreme Court stated so. https://wearechange.org/u-s-supreme-...ghwaysstreets/

While I do feel privileged to drive it's more like I feel privileged to have the brains to drive in a manner that's safe for the rest of the public.

[citizensadvocate]

Its an interesting legislation that licenses can no longer be suspended starting on July 1st due to not being able to pay the astronomically California fines which can be many times that of most other states. Though it appears the legislation does not affect the possibility that a bench warrant may still be issued to the person who choose to not pay tickets. That is unless the ticket is a "parking ticket" which the best they can do is go to collections to get you to pay up.

I notice the real issue is that the state really has a quota in making new laws they completely go insane. So many laws passed each year are ambigious, vague, and worded so poorly not even experts and those who helped write them can actually interprete them. Most are for revenue generation anyways. Think of all the outrages fees that come with fines. Believe it or not the actual "fine" for the same violations did NOT increase for many decades its just all those fees attached that keeps rising. I.e the base fine for a handheld cell phone violation has remained the same since the day it was passed about a decade ago but the fine after fees rises year after year from $76 to $150 or more and various wildly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

Though now I see the issue is a no win situation they have dealt with for a while. That is that when California suspends licenses because people cannot pay such ridiculous fines they now end up having much more uninsured drivers on the road which poses a serious safety hazard. As many still need their vehicles for work including to pay off such ridiculous fines but the chances of getting caught for driving with a suspended license is very slim in many areas so they risk it. But those who are unfortunate enough to be hit by a driver who's insurance carrier denied payout for liability would be the one screwed. Its really a no win situation. Kind of like deciding whether to shoot at or not shoot at a driver driving dangerous while running from officers. If you shoot you might cause the driver to turn into an uncontrolled missile and possibly kill an innocent family. If you look at the Los Angeles forum one poster just got hit by a driver with suspended license, and police refused to respond, so it ends up innocent people end up holding the bag in this case. If that drivers license was not suspended the insurance company would have handled as a at fault financial liability case. So who ends up liable if the other party do not have enough money to pay for damages/injuries they inflict? The State who suspended the driver's license leading to the denied insurance payout?

Though what CA should do is legislate that traffic tickets must be transparent and limit the fees that can be added on to avoid using tickets as mass revenue generation. Allowing for split payments with interests added on. Turning certain minor
violations(i.e seatbelt, helmets) to be handled like parking violations,
Though community service is a good idea they propose. I believe that if an "unsafe" driver could be given a choice that they help clean up the road/freeway for a number of hours, attend driving school, in exchange for zero fine and reporting to insurance company I believe it would greatly improve the situation.