Laws for the highway may change the driving scene in Arizona. A bill that would drastically cut the amount in fines that drivers have to pay has made its way through the Arizona State Senate and is now on its way to the Arizona House of Representatives.
According to a story reported on the AZ Family website, S.B. 1669 would limit the dollar amount of fines that drivers would have to pay if they were going less than 10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. Rather than speeding, drivers would be cited for “waste of a finite resource,” which would carry a fine of $15.
The bill has significant advantages for drivers, but it also offers challenges to a part of Arizona’s flow of income. State Senate Republicans were overwhelmingly in favor of the bill, but Senate Democrats raised concerns that the legislation would cut badly needed revenue for the state and would actually encourage more people to speed on Arizona highways.
Democratic Senator Martin Quezada said in a statement that while no one wants a speeding ticket, several state programs are in need of the monies which come from the fines.
S.B. 1669 still has to be passed by the Arizona House of Representatives and signed by the Governor before it goes into effect.
The bill, if it becomes law, would not apply to drivers who are cited for going 20 miles per hour over the speed limit, and they would still face criminal penalties and fines.
