Opinion: Southern California counties should eliminate traffic fine late fees
Following state reforms aimed at reducing traffic ticket late fees, many Bay Area counties have eliminated these fees, and it is time for Southern California counties to follow their example. These traffic ticket late fees unfairly burden low-income drivers without meaningfully improving public safety.
The San Mateo settlement comes on the heels of state legislative reforms targeting the abuse of traffic ticket late fees. Last year, the California legislature passed, and Gov. Gavin Newsom signed, Assembly Bill 199, which lowered the maximum late fee from $300 to $100. All late fees imposed before July 1, 2022, were eliminated, resulting in an estimated $500 million in court debt relief to Californians.
High ticket costs disproportionately burden low-income drivers. According to surveys by the U.S. Federal Reserve, approximately one-third of American adults would struggle to afford an unexpected $400 expense without taking on debt or selling their possessions. Late fees, designed to encourage payment, are ineffective when the underlying cause of non-payment is financial hardship.
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