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By John H. Arundel
Rappahannock News Staff Writer . This 4th of July weekend Northern Virginia motorists will take to the roads for beach excursions, backyard picnics and patriotic partying. But don’t speed, and definitely don’t drink and drive, because hefty “abuser fees” are waiting for lead-footed motorists at the courthouse.
In Virginia, new laws go on the books next week aimed at curbing highway speeding and drinking and driving. Virginia motorists convicted of traffic violations will face a new, multiyear tax beginning July 1 with assessments of up to $3,000 in addition to an annual point tax that tops out at $700 a year for as long as the points remain.
The new so-called “driver responsibility tax” was slipped into the state’s massive transportation funding bill by state Del. David B. Albo (R-Springfield), which was signed into law by Gov. Tim Kaine (D) in April to pay for more than $1 billion in state road improvements.
“The purpose of the civil remedial fees imposed in this section is to generate revenue [for state road improvements],” the new law states, but Albo, a senior partner in the Springfield traffic law firm of Albo & Obion, LIP, may see a significant bump in his business as motorists seek to protect their bank accounts from the hefty traffic fines. The new fines could also cause financial hardships on Virginia motorists, especially those earning below $30,000 per year, civic
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