State prosecutes toll dodgers to collect its 'fare share' of fees

No one likes to pay tolls, especially when it means slowing down and coughing up a few extra dollars. Though it may be tempting to speed through and skip out on the charge (just this once, right?), it’s a practice that could cost you severely in the end. Because cameras are placed at each entrance and exit, the state knows just who’s driving through and who’s not paying their “fare” share.

And don’t think the amount is so small that people will look the other way. After a growing list of violations, the state of New York is cracking down. For whatever reasons drivers choose to push on through, it’s going to cost them. Trucking companies with drivers that dodged the fees thousands of times before are being called to court. One company owner, in fact, has had drivers skipping tolls for the past five years and will now have to pay out in the six-figure range. After 5,533 missed tolls, Great Kills Trucking owes $123,080 in toll dollars, with an added $222,625 in administrative fees.

It’s not just companies that are going to have to pay the proverbial piper. Individual drivers are being prosecuted for violations as well, including one Virginia man who was slapped with a fine of more than $200,000.

When it comes to tollbooths, paying the fee may be not pleasant but it’s far better than the alternative. Our recommendation? Slow down and pay the charge. It’ll save you time and money on court costs later.