For those of you who are just tuning in, the high penalty assessments on
Bishop and Independence traffic tickets are not directed to the programs
they were initially designed to fund.
Case in point: driver education classes. A portion of the money collected from moving violations is supposed to fund free or reduced public driver education courses for new drivers. But some people claim that the money earmarked for these programs has essentially been hijacked by the Legislature and Governor and sent to the general fund, where is it applied to pretty much everything except driver education courses. As a result, non-state agencies like local law enforcement and hospitals must use their limited resources for these projects.
Vehicle wrecks are the number one cause of preventable death among teenagers.
Penalty Assessments
According to a report from the California Research Bureau, penalty assessments are divided among several destinations, including:
- Victim restitution,
- Driver training,
- Peace officer training, and
- Traumatic brain injury research.
In reality, however, all the money collected goes to the general fund, and some of the programs penalty assessments were designed to fund, including training funds, are either already broke or dangerously close to insolvency.
The result is a continuing spiral of increasing penalty assessments, and there is no sign that the cycle will end anytime soon.
But the cycle can be good news for drivers. Because the county keeps almost none of the revenue that penalty assessments generate, prosecutors are sometimes willing to reduce them. The penalty assessment mess is yet another example of a way that an experienced attorney can use a broken system to your advantage.
Getting Legal Help
The aggressive attorneys at Bigger & Harman, APC, are committed to giving individuals a voice when dealing with speeding and traffic tickets. Call today at 661-349-9300 or email attorney@markbigger.com to receive the personal professional attention you deserve. En español, llame al 661-349-9755.