Editorial

Speeding fines should be addressed

Friday, February 11, 2005

With a flood of legislative bills pouring through the Unicameral in Lincoln, it's sometimes difficult to fully understand how the proposals will affect our daily lives.

But that's not true of Legislative Bill 156, introduced by State Sen. Tom Baker of Trenton. There's no question what the bill will do. If LB156 becomes law, speeding fines and points for speeding violations will be increased across the board.

Sen. Baker, the chairman of the legislature's Transportation and Telecommunications Committee, is taking the right approach. It has been 20 years since the speeding fine and point law has been addressed as a whole by the Legislature, and it's time for adjustments to be made.

Here's what Baker is proposing. In regards to fines, his bill would increase the fine for driving one to five mph over the speed limit to $25. The $25 fine for driving six to 10 miles over the speed limit would be raised to $50, and the current $75 fine for driving 11-15 mph over the speed limit would be raised to $100. The fine for driving 16-20 mph over the speed limit, now $125, would increase to $150. The current $200 fine for traveling 21 mph over the speed limit would remain the same.

Repeat speeders would be hurt even more by Baker's proposed changes in the point violation numbers. Under his plan, violations for driving one to five miles over the speed limit would increase from one to two points. Violations for driving between five and 10 mph over the limit would increase from two to three points, and violations for driving more than 10 mph over the limit would increase from three to four points.

That should make habitual speeders stop and think, as an excess of points can result in loss of license.

LB156, which has the support of the Nebraska Trucking Association, should be passed. It's time that fines be adjusted upward to discourage speeding.

Also this session, the Nebraska Legislature should take the advice of Gov. Dave Heineman to increase the number of state troopers. The governor's budget plans calls for 21 new troopers, plus continued funding for six troopers dedicated to construction zone safety. Those are reasonable requests and need to be passed.

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