Governor Passes Law Empowering Toll Facilities
Toll roads can be either a convenience or a nightmare depending on where you live and what your commute looks like. Each of these toll roads have their own costs associated with use. There are also a lot of different toll facility operators. Virginia has created a special website that gives you details on how these toll facilities are operated. The website offers maps and other detailed information about where these toll facilities are located and who runs these toll facilities.
There is also a program known as E-ZPASS that allows you quickly pay tolls as you travel and you do not have to worry about fishing coins out of your wallet. However, the E-ZPASS is not perfect. I have seen situations where the E-ZPASS didn’t register or the bank failed to process the transaction. If that happens, you are likely to get a toll violation notice sent to you. Not paying these violation notices on time can have huge consequences.
What happens if you don’t pay your violation notice on time? The answer depends on what facility you didn’t pay the toll at. Although the facility rules are different, if your violation notices keep stacking up the Department of Motor Vehicles may refuse to renew your vehicle registration. Therefore, it is extremely important that you immediately pay any missed tolls as soon as you find out.
What new law did the Governor pass? You can read that new law here. Prior to the new law, these toll facilities were required you send you notices by certified mail. That would ensure that you received the notices. However, the new law expands the types of ways that toll facilities can send you these notices. You may start getting notices in your email inbox that you used when you signed up for the E-ZPASS. So long as the communication is trackable, the tolling facility is allowed to use it. Therefore, you need to make sure all the information on your vehicle registration and E-ZPASS account are up to date. Otherwise, you may get a nasty surprise from the DMV when you next go to get your vehicle registration updated!