Friday, September 13, 2013

DPS expands surcharge relief for poor

1. http://smmercury.com/2013/09/12/dps-expands-surcharge-relief-for-poor/

2. Category* of Problem/Issue identified in article: Transportation/financial

3. Level of problem/issue: State level

4. This is a potential policy that is being considered to help a problem/issue that individuals/families face.

5. This is important to individuals/families because many drivers are unable to pay the expensive costs that come with a driving ticket and this policy could potentially cut those surcharges up to 50%.

6. What are your views on this policy/issue?


I think this is ridiculous. Drivers are well aware of their consequences if they drive drunk or drive without a license or insurance and I don’t believe it is fair that just because they are considered low in the income spectrum that they should be allowed to pay any less for these violations than a rich person. People need to make better choices and if they don’t have money to pay for a DWI charge, for example, than they should re-think their choices before getting in a vehicle and driving drunk. By cutting back the cost for low level income families, I feel like you are almost enabling bad behavior. Same with if they are driving without insurance and they get caught, why are they entitled to a ticket of lesser cost than the next person. It was still a conscious decision they made to drive without insurance and they should be held just as accountable as the next person.  I believe everyone should be held accountable for their decision no matter what income status they belong to. Instead of cutting the costs in half for these individuals maybe a policy should be put into play of a more lenient payment plan system where it allows individuals to determine what they can afford monthly and pay it off in installments as well as suspending the driver’s license for a certain amount of time and then giving them a chance to prove themselves with good driving behavior. Overall, I feel like accountability is huge and every individual should have equal responsibility.

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