New legislation is pending that bars anyone who is speeding more than 25 miles per hour on a non-rural road or more than 30 miles per hour on a highway from getting court supervision.
Court supervision allows an individual to keep his or her driving record clean enough so that the individual can keep his or her license. The benefits for supervisions appeal to both governments, who collect fees for traffic violations and to drivers, who avoid traffic convictions that can lead to increased insurance rates and, sometimes suspended licenses.
Numerous accidents by chronic speeders have driven this push to reform how courts hand out supervisions though. Previous legislation was enacted that reduced the number of supervisions a driver could get to two in a 12-month period, thereby making a third offense in that period a conviction. Additionally, three convictions in a 12-month period could cause a license suspension.
Defense attorneys are claiming the new law is too harsh, especially for first-time offenders. They claim that 25 miles per hour is not that fast and now more people will be thrown into an already overflowing court system. One attorney says that legislating based on one incident tends to make bad law.
However, the proposed legislation limiting supervisions has already gotten unanimous support in the state Senate.
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