‘Greedy government,’ drivers fume over new July 1 crackdown with $1k fines – state will take more taxes to make you pay
DRIVERS are speaking out after a July 1 road law will impose fines up to $1,000 on speedy motorists.
Road-monitoring devices mounted over speedways restarted in several major cities on July 1. Drivers complained that the road law-capturing devices were too expensive.
Drivers in six popular cities have been asked to slow down with a new law[/caption]
Speed cameras can assign drivers fines from $75 to $1,000[/caption]
Iowa drivers in six cities – Davenport, Cedar Rapids, LeClaire, Muscatine, and Des Moines – have been warned about the speed-trapping cameras.
The cameras paused ticketing drivers while the data systems implemented new automatic fees. They reactivated on July 1.
“Speed cameras have nothing to do with safety,” one driver alleged in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, about the road law.
“It’s just a way for greedy local governments to generate revenue.”
More cities across the US have rolled out speed-capturing cameras as excessive acceleration has been commonly cited in recent traffic accidents.
The US has experienced a growing number of accidents since 2020 – though the number of American crashes is slowing, per the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.
Iowa’s new law hopes to slow down drivers in the six densely-populated cities.
The cameras will issue automatic fines to all drivers caught going 11 mph or more on the city’s roads.
Cars captured driving 11 to 20 mph over the speed limit will pay $75 for the infraction.
Driving 21-25 mph over the limit comes with a $100 fine.
Drivers will pay $250 for speeding 26-30 mph.
Anything over 30 mph will get an automatic $500 fine.
All fines are doubled if the driver is caught in a construction zone.
The fine will initially be sent to the car’s owner. A vehicle owner can tell the state they weren’t behind the wheel during the infraction.
However, they must have proof that another motorist was using the vehicle and provide the driver’s name.
Drivers must pay or refute the fine within 30 days, the new law states.
According to a legally reviewed post, there are five effective strategies to fighting a speeding ticket if it was wrongfully issued.
Source: FindLaw
If the driver doesn’t pay in the appropriate amount of time, the state is able to take the funds from the resident’s future state tax returns.
Drivers may also contest the ticket altogether.
However, trying to get out of the ticket comes with additional financial risk.
Drivers must pay a $95 fee if they refute their ticket in court and lose the case.