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Drivers holding cell phones pick up more than $20 fine: Total cost of talking without a hands-free device while driving adds up to $103 after various fees
Nov 08, 2008 (The Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Elizabeth Krauss of Grover Beach stood at a courthouse counter wondering how a $20 fine for talking on her cell phone while driving had quintupled.
For many of the hundreds of drivers in the county cited for talking on their cell phones without a hands-free device -- required under a state law that went into effect July 1 -- confusion arises when police officers tell them the ticket is $20 when in reality it balloons to $103 after court costs, fees and fines.
"I was driving down Broad Street, and I had just voted," Krauss said after leaving the County Courthouse traffic counter. The police officer said, " 'It's only $20. You can pay $20.' That's what he said to me."
Court officials say people come to their counters expecting to pay only $20 and leave upset, saying officers misinformed them. Figures on the number of tickets processed through the San Luis Obispo court were unavailable Friday, officials said. Cell phone tickets, however, now make up a significant portion of all traffic citations, they added.
San Luis Obispo police officials said this week they plan to advise officers to stop telling drivers the tickets are $20 to avoid confusion. Sheriff's Department officials said they don't typically quote costs, while CHP officials said the public should be aware that its officers are not factoring in other fees.
"One thing to keep in mind, when we say $20 and $50, we're actually talking about the base fine," said CHP spokesman Joe Vega, referring to a $20 base fee for the first cell phone ticket and a $50 base fee for the second violation.
In San Luis Obispo County, the additional fees benefit the law enforcement agency that issued the ticket, the state, technology to track records and security related to a law passed after Sept. 11.
To see more of The Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.sanluisobispo.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Tribune, San Luis Obispo,
Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints,
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