Senate Bill 247 concerning various motor vehicle matters is now up on Second Reading. The only amendment that passed was a somewhat closely contested provision that requires a passenger vehicle license plate to display a numeral indicating the county in which the passenger car is registered. The standard plates already do this, but I believe this provision would apply to the specialty plates as well. That amendment prevailed 63 to 32.
The bill also contains a provision for an officer to generate an electronic traffic ticket. Apparently the officer would print out a hard copy on sight, but would be transmitted to a court and would be considered by the court as an original certified copy of the traffic information and summons or complaint and summons. Probably an effective use of technology, but still a little creepy.
[tags]SB247-2007, motor vehicles[/tags]
[…] Some times inefficiency isn’t all that bad By Doug The Reporter Times has an article entitled, Indiana moves toward electronic traffic ticketing. The bill was SB 247-2007, and I had the same reaction reading the article as I did when I originally read the bill. It allows the officer to enter a traffic ticket electronically, scan the driver’s license, generate a hard copy on site, and electronically transmit the data to the court. I’m not horribly opposed to this bill, but still, it makes me uneasy. Sometimes bureaucratic inefficiencies are saving graces. Perhaps, in the name of efficiency, we could have your driver’s license electronically linked to your bank account, and when the e-ticket goes to the court, it also goes to your bank which would be obligated to electronically transfer funds to the Clerk of Courts to be held in escrow pending the outcome of your case. I wonder if increased ticket efficiency will encourage police officers to write more tickets. […]