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Lately I've seen some talk elsewhere about fighting tickets that people got on a bike. Some approached the concept of fighting a ticket, even if you're guilty, as something you should do, because it often works. Others felt if you were guilty you should just pay the price. Well, whatever position you take, that's your decision, but if you do find yourself in that situation, you should know that the costs may be a lot higher than you thought ...
First of all, the City of Austin has their standard traffic fines online -- http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/court/fine_sch.htm
For example, running a red light is $217. Or speeding 15 mph over the limit is $193. Passing a school bus (with the flashing red lights) is $552. All these fines apply to cyclists as well as motorists, so don't do those things.
However, the final cost may be even higher, thanks to the `Driver Responsibility Law'. http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/administra … rp/drp.htm
Basically, if you get six or more points on your license, you'll have to pay $100/year for each year that you have six points or more on your license (plus $25 more per point above six.) If you're the type of person that gets a ticket once in a blue moon, then this isn't going to affect you. But if you get a few tickets at once, or a few a year, this could very well hit you.
I've heard that moving violations on a bicycle aren't supposed to get points put on their license. I don't know if that's really true or not. It would probably be worthwhile to do what you can to make sure you don't get any points if you get a ticket (it would probably start with asking, and then checking your record after the fact.)
And of course, taking defensive driving should still be an option, just like it is in a car, and that's a good way to keep tickets off your record.
This isn't a new law (2003), but I'd never heard about it until now. Clearly, it's meant more to generate revenue than anything else, but if it's the law, you'll have to deal with it.
Apparently it's even worse in other states -- a single `15 mph over the limit' ticket will trigger it in Virginia, costing you up to $3550. (15 mph over the limit is certainly doable on a bike, though I don't know if they treat cyclists the same way.)
On the bright side, this thing hits people convicted of a DWI extra hard. (And they were already hit pretty hard before.)
More on it --
http://shapleigh.org/news/1357-from-the-senator-s-desk (he says that 11% of Austinites have current arrest warrants out on them, mostly due to moving violations!)
http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/03/362.asp
http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/02/1 … c-traffic/
Last edited by dougmc (2009-02-10 22:28:44)
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