|
Unpaid fines can cost drivers more |
|
|
|
Written by Pamela Roth
|
|
Thursday, October 23 2008, 10:28 PM |
If you’re one of those people who has a stack of unpaid driving fines piled up around the house, you’re not alone. But those who choose to continue to ignore those fines during the next few months could have their wages and bank accounts garnisheed, and even their property seized.
With an estimated 651,000 unpaid tickets across the province worth more than $126 million, the government is cracking down on drivers who think they can run and hide. In some cases, repeat offenders have collected as many as 20 to 50 unpaid fines — as is the case of an Edmonton man who has accumulated 57 unpaid fines, several of which are for driving while disqualified or unauthorized.
At the end of September, there were a little more than 22,000 overdue tickets in Lethbridge, amounting to just over $3 million — a number Steve Jackson, executive director of claims and recoveries, said is typical of a city this size.
But those who think if they ignore their ticket it will just go away had better think twice as the Traffic Fines Enforcement Initiative is phased in across the province beginning in the province’s capital.
In Edmonton, 15,000 drivers who committed traffic offences will receive letters requesting payment on overdue fines by the end of the month. Another 15,000 letters will be sent out in the city by December. Other drivers in the province with unpaid fines will receive the same letters in the months that follow, particularly in Calgary which is the next city on the province’s hit list.
Once a letter is received, drivers will have 14 business days to pay before collection action will be taken, and that action can be painful.
If a person fails to pay their fine, they will not be able to register a vehicle or renew their driver’s licence until the fine is paid. If payments have not been made within 30 days, the individual will be registered with the Canada Revenue Agency and their GST rebates and income tax refunds will be intercepted.
In addition, they also run the risk of having their wages and bank accounts garnisheed, and their property seized to secure payment in extreme cases.
According to Jackson, the vast majority of the public pay their fines within one year. It’s only a small fraction, like the man in Edmonton, who are somehow getting around the law.
“We are really going after the ones that either deliberately or inadvertently gotten around the system,” Jackson said. “This isn’t about money, it’s about enforcing and making people respect the law.”
The Traffic Fines Enforcement Initiative comes on the heels of a pilot project that began two years ago when more than 50,000 traffic tickets worth almost $9 million were targeted for active collection. Since that time, more than 50 per cent of those tickets have been paid, resulting in $4.8 million that flows back to the municipality that issued the ticket.
Violations can range from running red lights and driving while disqualified to speeding in school or playground zones.
Anyone wishing to pay a fine can do so by mail, phone, over the internet or in person either at a courthouse or a registry agent office.
|
|
Last Updated ( Monday, August 10 2009, 2:34 PM )
|
