Just to let you guys know, I received 3 citations in 2010. 2 were speeding, the other crossing into the HOV. Yea I know, but to get to the point. It is costing me $156.00 each year for 3 consecutive years to avoid suspension on my driver privileges. Im not sure exactly how this system works and I have never heard of this "SURCHARGE POINT SYSTEM" until 2010. I asked a rep of the DPS where the money goes and what it is used for when I pay this surcharge. She responded saying 45.6% goes to a trauma center. HUH? Like JPS? The other half of the percentage goes to I dont know cause I was distracted by Day 2 of the Bassmasters Classic Tourney at the Delta. And 1% goes to administration fees. Next question was when did this start? She replied 2003. She also said its going to make drivers "better drivers" because they will know that they have to pay this kind of fee every year for 3 years if they receive citations . Just a warning to all.. It Sucks!!!!

If thats true that is some b.s.

Never heard of it till now, thanks for the warning!

since 2003 I bet I have had 15 tickets. This hasnt come up once. I get a lawyer though and go on probation on most my tickets

Dam y'all need to either slow down or not get caught so much. I'll admit I speed everywhere, but not really more than 5-7mph over.

I've had about 4 tickets in my life (I'm 30). Each one i either take defensive driving or get it deferred.

Get a DWI and you'll pay $1000 a year for 3 years

And you know what's even better? About a year and a half ago, they decided to forgive all of the people that weren't paying... but still make the people that had kept up with it keep paying

then there is the old insurance rate hike too.

that's why I take defensive or deferred. No 15-25% rate hike.

I'm not sure but isn't this only when you're license has already been suspended and you're trying to get it back? Not sure but I paid some old tickets for an out of town relative and the Dallas police let me clear his tickets so he could get his license back. They also told me about this. It has to be done by mailing the money to a place in Austin.
You can't pay it when you pay your tickets, its a state thing.

I think.

If you don't speed why worry about it.
Now that the state has set the speed up to 75 in areas where the average driver was doing 75 the average is going up to 80.
I feel lots safer on the back roads.

Last speeding ticket I got was in 1988. Only one other moving violation ticket a couple of years later due to a junk work zone setup.

Been lucky a few times since then.

No, it's not necessarily after your license has been suspended. Also after certain infractions or numbers of certain violations, to keep your license from being suspended

I had one last year driving through Luling going to the hospital when my dad was about to die. I drove through a school zone and although the police was not in sight of the sign (flashing) and the sign was on the edge of a gas station about 15 feet off the street I had to do deferred adjudication on that one.
I suspect a truck had parked in front of the sign since neither I nor my wife saw the flashing light. It did not matter to the policeman or the judge. As part of the procedure I had to apply for my drivers record from the state. I had no violations.
I did get a ticket in the 70's. Ok, I got several in the 70's.

I have never had my license suspended. I think I might get my lawyer to look at this cause it sounds like complete BS. If you pay the ticket why would you have to pay again at the start of the year?

It seems like they are double dipping unless you get a lawyer to handle them like Bill.

any violation after after Jan 1, 2011 the state of Texas cannot impose surcharges - the FEDS stepped in on this one.

3k was cheap. My buddy's last dwi cost him around 15k, plus another 12 for getting his brand new set of veneer teeth knocked out.

I have gotten 3 tickets this year and one warning. One in seadrift that was TOTAL BS. (the judge and police man both resigned I discovered, AFTER I payed it).

One in Buda. Driving on the median to avoid traffic jam. (I deserved it)

One in Taft for speeding. I was guilty. I am still waiting to hear back from the judge in Taft to see if I can deferred.

I took def. Driving for one and deferred for the one in BUda,

Spent over 1000 so far.

Those were in 2011.

I will not get any tickets in 2012!

Never had one..

Point system: http://www.texas-traffic-ticket.com/traffic_tickets/texas_traffic_violations.html

grrrr

Soggy,


I suggest that you do a Yahoo! search of Grits for Breakfast. Grits is a great web site that is ran by Scott Henson, a fellow who grew up here in Tyler. Scott’s brother happens to be a Baptist pastor. Scott is more than a bit of an idealist. Grits concerns itself with significant problems that exist within the Texas Justice System in particular, and more generally with laws, judicial decisions, etc. that erode, attenuate, or negate the rights of the individual.

I’ve gotten tickets too, but I’ve never been tapped by the surcharge system. Texas did not have any sort of a points system till about a decade ago. It came into existence just about the same time that red light cameras started to be put up in Texas. This is NOT coincidence. You can thank your friendly insurance industry for both. The insurance industry MASSIVELY lobbies the Texas Legislature, Governor, and Lt. Governor. The insurance industry does this because it is ran by bunch of ignoramuses. I do not say igngoramuses in anger, etc. here. Let’s consider that roots of this word. Ignorant shares the same base root. An ignoramus is one who ignores the truth, facts, wisdom, etc..

What the insurance industry does when lobbying elected officials is designed to increase the bottom-line of the various insurance corporations within that industry, and nothing more. The hard fact is that insurance companies are in point of fact business, that is to say they are commercial enterprises. Thus they were created to turn a profit. So when insurance industry lobbyist come calling to elected officials it is ALL about protecting, or increasing insurance companies profits, and NOTHING more.

My current State Representative, Leo Barmen(R) District 6, is not on my Christmas Card List. Still, he had enough sense to introduce legislation to revoke the surcharge system. Which I find ironic because Leo has been a STAUNCH supporter of red light cameras. (Go figure....)

The issues, etc. in the just above three paragraphs is extensively covered by Grits.

Here’s the LINK for the most recent missive on Grits about the constitutionality of the surcharge. The Texas CCA has decided to a take a case that challenges the surcharge as being unconstitutional.

TFP

The hard fact is that the surcharge is a violation of the COTUS prohibition on double jeopardy. —Not that violating the COTUS has ever really stopped elected officials.

TFP

you have to do this so the court can see if you are eligible for deferred or def. driving. It will show if you got out of a ticket for either recently. Because you can only take def. driving once every two years (was one year not long ago).