Article from: www.thenewspaper.com/news/06/647.asp

9/11/2005

New Hampshire: Toll Evasion is No Longer a Crime
Police cannot fine New Hampshire motorists who drive through a toll booth without paying.

In an attempt to turn failing to pay a toll into a "civil violation" that can be enforced by a camera, New Hampshire legislators in July deleted the section from the lawbooks that had previously made toll evasion a crime carrying a $140 fine and driver's license demerit points. Because the state only uses cameras on the E-ZPass lanes, there is no legal basis for the state to stop anyone who blows through the cash-only lanes without paying.

Anyone accused of not paying the toll in an E-ZPass lane faces a $25 "administrative fee." The state department of transportation estimates one percent of users skip the toll.

New Hampshire Transportation Commissioner Carol Murray explained the legislative mistake to the Union Leader: "We knew what we wanted it (the new law) to do; we didn't think about what we didn't want it to do."


Source: Toll-booth loophole: E-ZPass law gives a free ride (Union Leader, 9/11/2005)

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