Virginia town may ignore abuser fees

FRONT ROYAL -- The town of Front Royal may ignore Virginia's new controversial abusive driver fees.Town council is scheduled to vote today on a resolution that would prevent Front Royal, which is North of Harrisonburg, from enforcing the fees -- except for drunken driving.

The fees went into effect July first. They are added to court costs and range from 900 dollars to three-thousand dollars.The fees apply to charges such as reckless driving, drunken driving and felonious acts that involve driving such as hit-and-run or vehicular manslaughter. But they're so unpopular that some Front Royal council members don't want their police force to be associated with them.

The sponsor of the measure, Councilman Thomas Sayre, says the fees are unfair to the town's 14-thousand residents and drivers who pass through Front Royal's two-lane highways.Under the Front Royal proposal, people cited for driving under the influence would still be subject to the state fees. The resolution would apply only to tickets written by the Front Royal police.