Kim Ferguson, a long-time resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, was pulled over for speeding last January. A cop was speeding at 31 mph in a 15 mph school zone. It was the first ticket she had ever received. She faced a $200 fine for exceeding the speed limit by more than twice.
“I said, ‘Oh my goodness. I’ve never gotten a ticket before. Ferguson told KLAS, “I don’t know what to do.”
The officer took pity on Ferguson and issued her a penalty for traveling 20 mph—a mere 5 mph difference. She argued that she was also following the flow of traffic; therefore, he altered the ticket. As a result, he assured her, she would not be required to pay the $200.
When she signed in to pay her ticket, she was surprised at the amount she was required to pay, regardless of whether she chose to dispute the charge. In Nevada, if you want to dispute a ticket, you must pay the fine first. If you win, you will receive a refund.
“We looked at the thing and I told my husband, ‘Oh my god, it’s $417,’” she recalled. Ferguson’s husband, Tom, said it may not be a lot for most Vegas residents—but it was a lot for them. Especially since they had to pay a fee just because they paid online.
“When you’re retired, that’s a lot of money,” he said. “Now maybe to some people it’s not, but to us it is.”
The couple couldn’t afford a lawyer, so they paid the ticket
Neither Tom nor Kim thought hiring a lawyer was worth the extra money. So they decided to pay the ticket instead. However, the interaction and the resulting fine left a bad impression on them.
“The punishment doesn’t match the crime,” Tom said. “If you were doing 50 miles per hour in a school zone, I would understand that, but 20? It doesn’t make sense to me.”
Some Vegas lawmakers are hoping to change that. State Senator Melanie Scheible proposes modifying the rule to enable contestants to contest without incurring a fine.
“I think the bigger issue, especially among my colleagues here at the Legislature, is just the unfairness in having to pay the fine first and then be seen by a judge,” she said over a video chat. “For many Nevadans, especially those with limited financial means, this upfront payment creates a financial barrier to their right to a hearing.”
Her proposal passed, now it needs to be passed in the chamber
The state Senate unanimously approved Scheible’s proposal to provide Nevadans more freedom in disputing their speeding citations. Now, the chamber anticipates its passage.
