If you go one mile per hour over the speed limit on Old Lynchburg, JPA, Monticello and soon, Elliot, Brandywine and Franklin, you will pay a $268 dollar fine. In case you were wondering how that compares to Virginia, that’s nearly 300% more than what Virginia thinks is necessary.

Oh, and let’s not forget that Virginia is already insane. I don’t know if it’s because we have an inferiority problem of not being a State (we are, in fact, a Commonwealth) or what, but we impose excessive fines on drivers already. In case you don’t believe me, read the Virginia Driver Civil Remedial Fee Explanation. In it you will find the following facts:

• ONLY Virginia residents have to pay these fines. That means if you live out of State (*COUGH, many UVA STUDENTS*), you don’t have to pay.
• If you drive over 80MPH, you have to pay a minimum of $350 and your fines could be as high as $1,000.
• If you drive more than 20MPH over the speed limit, you have to pay a minimum of $350 and your fines could be as high as $1,000.

[UPDATE: Echo points out that these were repealed.  I missed this, but the point remains that $200 for minor speeding infractions is also excessive.  I will update the table in the morning (only the last data point should change).]
Seriously? I don’t know how the City of Charlottesville gets to add an additional $200 onto already high fines, but it’s too much money. I’ve been lucky to not get any sort of ticket in years, but $300 dollars is A LOT of money for someone to pay for driving 1MPH over the speed limit. I think Charlottesville needs to reconsider how ridiculous this is.

What do you think?

Want to know exactly how much you have to pay in Charlottesville if you get caught driving over the speed limits in these designated areas? A detailed table is after the break.

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