SW Va Law points to this article about police waiting in the parking lot to catch people who are convicted, have their licenses suspended, and then go back out to their cars to drive home.
And what's so dang clever about that? Anyone who's been at any courthouse in Virginia a couple of times can tell you that people drive away from court without licenses. Sometimes it's because their license is taken from them while they are in court and they are just going to drive home. However, since Virginia takes your driver's license for everything under the sun1 and then holds it ransom to outrageous fees2, there are all sorts of people who must drive despite the fact that their licenses have been taken. Picking them up after they have been forced to come to court is like shooting fish in a barrel. It may be legal; it may be a great way to produce income for the city/county; It's not exactly fair; and it doesn't serve justice by protecting us from dangerous criminals. Quite often, it just punishes those who are down on their luck for being down on their luck.
1 Not paying court fines, having car insurance lapse, getting caught with alcohol under 21, etc.
2 Don't let your insurance lapse - you will have to pay for insurance plus a $500 reinstatement fee.
No comments:
Post a Comment