Location:
MUNICIPAL FINANCE; TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS;
Scope:
Connecticut laws/regulations;

OLR Research Report


December 15, 2010

 

2010-R-0525

MOTOR VEHICLE TICKETS

 

By: Paul Frisman, Principal Analyst

Steve Hunt, Budget Analyst II

You asked several questions about PA 06-106, which imposes a $10 surcharge on certain motor vehicle fines. The surcharge goes to the town where the offense occurs. You want to know (1) if the number of tickets issued increased after the law took effect and (2) the amount of money distributed to municipalities since the law was enacted. You asked if police see the law as “an incentive to be more proactive about traffic enforcement.”

The Office of Fiscal Analysis (OFA) has provided us with Judicial Department data on the number of tickets issued and the amount of additional revenue distributed to municipalities as a result of PA 06-106, codified as CGS § 51-56a (d). Table 1 shows the number of offenses for FY 03 through FY 10; Table 2 shows the amount of additional revenue for FY 07 through FY 11 (estimated).

The $10 surcharge applies to 35 motor vehicle violations and to fines or forfeitures under any municipal ordinance enacted in accordance with these laws. We provide statistics on 11 randomly selected motor vehicle violations. We will provide information on the remaining offenses if you wish.

We note that the number of offenses does not necessarily correlate with the amount of money going to towns, since some cases may be dismissed or not prosecuted (“nolled”).

It is difficult to discern a pattern or trend in the number of tickets issued. The number of tickets issued annually has fluctuated since the act's passage. In fact, as Table 1 shows, the number of tickets issued for several offenses dropped after 2006, the year the act took effect. The number of tickets issues for improper signaling did rise steadily from 361 in FY 05 to 676 in FY 09, but then dropped to 593 in FY 10. It is therefore hard to conclude that PA 06-106 has led to an increase in the number of tickets issued.

We spoke with two police chiefs, both of whom said the statute plays no part in their departments' issuance of tickets. Chief Anthony Salvatore of the Cromwell Police Department said police officers in that town issue tickets to enforce the law and reduce the number of traffic accidents, not to generate revenue. Similarly, West Hartford Police Chief James Strillaci said the surcharge does not play a role in his officers' decisions to issue a ticket.

Table 1: Number of Citations Issued FY 03 - FY 10

Offense

FY 03

FY 04

FY 05

FY 06

FY 07

FY 08

FY 09

FY 10

14-218a - Traveling Unreasonably Fast

35,159

35,344

34,044

29,212

24,276

26,434

23,680

22,301

14-219 - Speeding

88,740

90,580

92,663

92,540

93,720

91,260

92,066

92,540

14-222 - Reckless Driving

649

646

577

634

563

628

453

423

14-227a- Driving Under the Influence (DUI)

2,501

2,259

2,015

1,971

2,143

2,165

2,288

1,998

14-232 - Illegal Passing

1,654

1,541

1,421

1,410

1,314

1,635

1,156

1,296

14-239 - Driving Wrong Way on One-way Street

476

381

368

411

400

401

353

338

14-240 - Failure to Drive Reasonable Distance Apart

12,351

11,571

10,972

11,318

10,607

10,629

9,088

9,192

14- 279 - Passing a School Bus (First Offense)

384

437

371

288

311

309

278

337

14-244 – Improper Signaling

410

369

361

465

499

644

676

593

14-301 - Going Through Stop Sign

13,984

12,831

11,881

12,235

11,564

12,778

12,292

11,508

14-302 - Violating "Yield" Signs

220

279

129

61

67

56

56

104

Source: Office of Fiscal Analysis from Judicial Department

Table 2: Additional Revenue Remitted to Towns as a Result of PA 06-106 FY 07 to FY 11 (est.)

Offense

FY 07

FY 08

FY 09

FY 10

FY 11 Est.

14-218a - Traveling Unreasonably Fast

$293,378

$338,730

$322,065

$314,318

$304,451

14-219 - Speeding

694,814

802,223

762,753

744,407

721,039

14-222 - Reckless Driving

12,262

14,157

13,461

13,137

12,725

14-227a- DUI

85,764

99,022

94,150

91,886

89,001

14-232 - Illegal Passing

9,624

11,111

10,565

10,311

9,987

14-239 - Driving Wrong Way
on One-way Street

2,643

3,051

2,901

2,831

2,742

14-240 - Failure to Drive Reasonable Distance Apart

71,820

82,922

78,842

76,946

74,530

14- 279 - Passing a School Bus
(First Offense)

10,354

11,955

11,367

11,093

10,745

14-244 - Improper Signaling

3,526

4,072

3,871

3,778

3,660

14-301 - Going Through Stop Sign

99,660

115,066

109,405

106,773

103,421

14-302 - Violating "Yield" Signs

617

713

677

661

640

TOTAL Revenue

$1,302,307

$1,503,625

$1,429,646

$1,395,260

$1,351,460

Source: Office of Fiscal Analysis from Judicial Department

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