It does target poor people. If someone can afford the fines, it’s no more of a deterrent than the fine itself. So it’s only an additional deterrent to those who can’t afford the fines.
I read a thread on reddit (I think) a long tome ago and this one girl said something that really stuck with me. She had dated a guy from a really wealthy family and she said one thing about him was that whenever they’d be somewhere and he’d do something he wasn’t supposed to she’d notice this. Like “you can’t park there, that’s a handicapped spot.” “Oh, it’s fine, it’s just $300.” “You can’t have bring that bottle from the bar with you.” “I can, it’s only $150.” He could easily afford the fines so he didn’t see them as a deterrent, just thought of them as what it cost to do whatever he wanted.
In Finland, traffic fines are based on your income. I think that’s a much better and more equitable system. As it is now we basically have one set of laws for the poor and another for the affluent.
ReadingRainbow wrote: ↑Wed May 08, 2019 5:02 pm
That was how it was in California also...It doesn't target poor people, it is a deterrent from illegal driving.