Texas State Senate and House of Representatives, 

We, the constituents of the State of Texas, resolve to have the "Driver Surcharge Program"  AKA the "Driver Responsibility Program" revoked.

 

• This law subjects us to being twice penalized, financially, for traffic/ driver-related violations. One penalty is assigned at the receipt of a municipal traffic ticket; the other, by the Treasury of the State of Texas. 

The second fee is a 3 year reoccurring fee.
This fee is essentially not just one extra fine, it is 3.

Additionally, this program is not aimed solely at correcting behaviors. It is not intended to be a punishment for a crime, rather it is  a clever way the Texas Legislature piggybacks on the tax payers- minor violators or not. 

"Given the $10 billion budget shortfall that year (2003),...lawmakers also saw the program as an innovative way to fund Texas trauma centers and to generate much needed revenue for the state."

 

• Law makers aren't focused on making the roads more secure or drivers more safe. They are focused on collecting $10 billion.

"The DRP (Driver Responsibility Program) has failed on nearly every front. It has generated less than half of the revenue anticipated." 

The fact is, this law isn't even working the way it was planned. It is not generating revenue.

 

 -It is actually making our Texas roadways LESS safe than before.

"the program has failed to change driver behavior as it relates to a significant traffic-related offense: drunk driving. Since the DRP’s inception in 2003, the percentage of traffic fatalities involving alcohol increased from 27% to 34.3%."

Furthermore, this program has caused the number of uninsured drivers to rise due to the fact that many drivers end up with suspended licenses after failure to pay the additional surcharge fee. This causes previously insured drivers to lose their car insurance coverage.

But of course, these uninsured, unlicensed drivers are still on our roads.  

 

• This excessive punishment and the inflexibility thereof, cause undue financial hardship.

It is reasonable to argue that those people who are affected most, financially, by this law are young people who are still trying to build a financial back bone  (especially those who do not have a family support system), those living on social security, the lower middle class, and the poor.

For many of us, the additional fines imposed are NOT disputable and must be PAID IN FULL upon receipt of a "driver responsibility fee" notice. 

 

• Any person who drives while in Texas now has the potential to be left financially stranded because of this law, either directly or indirectly.

 As mentioned previously, this law imposes extravagant charges on top of court fees and ticket fines. Additionally, it can cause a driver who was previously insured to lose their coverage, and any number of tragedies can and do occur on the road.  

 

 By signing this petition, we demonstrate our opposition to this revenue-generating measure, as well as our resolve to see an end to this unjust  law.

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

http://texasdriverresponsibilityprogram.com/category/program-facts/​

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/driverlicense/drp.htm