Otherwise, abuser fees in Virginia haven’t served as much of a deterrent, according to the latest JLARC report:
The report, issued by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, raises questions about the effectiveness of the unpopular fees, which have been challenged in courts statewide and emerged as a divisive issue in last month’s General Assembly elections.
Among the major findings, researchers found that reckless-driving arrests have declined by 10.6 percent since the fees were imposed on July 1, but arrests for driving under the influence were up 9 percent and arrests for speeding were up 7.6 percent.
Now I can understand why speeding has gone up… everyone is being extra-special careful not to get charged with reckless (and therefore doing something marginally over the speed limit).
The DUIs are inexplicable… guess you have to be sober in order to care about an abuser fee.