Nevada governor candidate pitches speeding for dollars plan as budget fix

by Chris Shunk
From AutoBog.com

The state of Nevada is in one heck of a budget pinch, and candidate for governor Eugene "Gino" DiSimone is reportedly pitching some interesting ways of cutting the state's debt down to break-even. Beyond some controversial schemes that include pulling control of the Nevada National Guard away from the federal government and working out deals with mining companies to pay off debts in gold and silver, DiSimone also wants to open up the road to lead-foots. For a price.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, DiSimone thinks that letting commuters travel at up to 90 miles per hour without fear of getting a ticket can net the cash-strapped state $1 billion per year. The proposed fee for this right? A cool $25 a day. To reach the $1 billion mark, DiSimone expects to find 40 million takers over the course of a year.

In theory, this plan appears to be sound. But after a bit of thought we're thinking speeding for dollars will likely never work. First off, the Nevada police don't seem to like the idea, as the fuzz thinks maintains there is a connection between speeding and deadly accidents. And if cash for speed is to work, police would have to diligently enforce the speeding laws for those who don't pony up $25 per diem. Further, critics are likely to argue that such measures will disproportionately target the less fortunate who won't be able to afford the tariff.

Of course, such naysayers have a point. If you want to drive that fast every day for a month, that right would would cost you about $750. That's an awful lot of coin, and enough money to purchase one hell of a radar detector and pay off a couple of tickets to boot. Then there is the fact that many of the state's lead-footed already have detectors and already travel at speeds approaching 90 mph on the state's wide-open roads. So why pay the state for something you already do?