Perhaps We Should Call Them "Safe Street" Fees   Totally lost in the controversy over "abuser fees" is the fact that they work. Stiff penalties for reckless driving has resulted in... less reckless driving!   Early this summer Virginia's news media began focusing on the new transportation bill and the potential for one controversial part of it to blow up in faces of those who supported it.              While more profound matters went un-debated -- for instance, are “unelected” transportation authorities in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads permitted under the state constitution? -- the so-called “abuser fees” provision caught fire. The propriety of higher penalties for reckless drivers became a hot topic in the media, on the Internet blogs, and at local Rotary Clubs and Chambers of Commerce. Even now, they are fodder for political mail and TV attack ads.   Many voters got stirred up over what was said to be fees of “up to $3,000" for reckless driving. The discovery that out-of-state drivers were exempted only stoked their anger.   Shallow reporting by the media fed the bonfire. Yes, the bill did impose fees as high as $3,000 -- but only for those who killed someone while driving recklessly. Frankly, the only thing that upsets me about a $3,000 fee for needlessly taking a life is that it's too low! I have met no one who thinks that three grand is too harsh a penalty for needlessly taking a life.   But after news about these “abuser fees” riled up the voters and some 180,000 folks signed an on-line petition in opposition to them, the politicians understood that some changes were necessary. And those changes are coming.   What’s fascinating is how silent the media has been about the positive impact of the fees on the safety of roads.   I drive up and down Interstate 81 several times a year and I find that those dangerous 18-wheelers that used to speed, ride our bumper, and weave in and out of traffic are much more tame. Folks who live along this major highway have told me the same thing. Interstate 95 is safer as well.   Now the State Police statistics tell a story of safety on our roads that the media has conveniently decided not to talk about. As Paul Harvey likes to say, “Here’s the rest of the story.”   Since the abuser fees became law on July 1st, speeding tickets are down 5.4 percent and the much more dangerous reckless driving tickets are down by 19.7 percent.   Clearly, our roads are getting safer and only on thing has changed that could have produced these dramatic reductions in bad driving -- the implementation of the much-abused abuser fees. Nothing else has happened to produce these results.   While tweaks to the abuser-fee legislation are needed, and will be forthcoming, it is only right and proper for the media to inform that public that our roads have become safer since July 1st. But the media isn't getting the facts out. The silence makes one wonder if these newspapers, radio & TV stations and the blogosphere on the left and right are more interested in stirring the pot than in having a serious public policy debate based on facts.   Out-of-state drivers need to be part of any new bill focused on reckless drivers, and a graduated fine structure based on how fast the reckless driver is going should be considered. Minor violations such as failure to use a turn signal should be dropped altogether.                 In the meantime, voters should know that abuser fees have made our roads safer. That means our spouses are safer and our kids are safer -- a fact that goes to the core of any public policy discussion.   As Virginia enters the final weeks of this year’s campaign, the media has an obligation to get out the facts about our safer streets. But don’t hold your breath.   -- October 1, 2007