![caspar-rae-mbpgdhd_sa-unsplash.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum10826/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/datasmart/files/caspar-rae-mbpgdhd_sa-unsplash.jpg?itok=AIM3E8Ll) 

 



 

#  How Something as Simple as a Speeding Ticket can Worsen Inequities 

 





October 20, 2022

 

 

 [ Stephen Goldsmith ](/stephen-goldsmith) 

- October 20, 2022
- [Equity](/equity)

 *This article was originally published in the Boston Globe.*

 The leaders of America’s cities could take a major step toward equity and fairness for their residents by making relatively modest changes to long-accepted policies that often hurt ordinary people.

 One obvious place to begin: local fines, fees, and penalties. A $150 traffic fine is an inconvenience to those with sufficient funds yet can be disastrous for those without. Tailoring penalties and fees to a person’s ability to pay would be more fair and benefit many lower-income residents. Such an approach would encourage voluntary payment compliance in the first place and decrease reliance on costly penalty-driven enforcement.

 To the more than [100 million Americans who do not have $400 for emergencies](https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2021-report-economic-well-being-us-households-202205.pdf), a $100 delinquent parking or speeding ticket — especially if it’s compounded by an increase in insurance premiums — presents a difficult choice. Will that money go toward the ticket or groceries? According to a 2017 report, more than [7 million people have lost their driver’s licenses](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/millions-of-drivers-lost-their-licenses-for-failing-to-pay-court-fees-study-finds/2017/09/25/c495aed6-9f01-11e7-84fb-b4831436e807_story.html?utm_term=.ac9f75cf4590&itid=lk_interstitial_manual_6*20https:**Awww.washingtonpost.com*local*trafficandcommuting*millions-of-drivers-lost-their-licenses-for-failing-to-pay-court-fees-study-finds*2017*09*25*c495aed6-9f01-11e7-84fb-b4831436e807_story.html*utm_term=.ac9f75cf4590&itid=lk_interstitial_manual_6__;JS8vLy8vLy8vLz8!!BspMT6SJLSDJ!IATKccxgBN15Kj-qcoKU2awlAV-2BknYtUptR6NuXfMlHaIMqeS9soTrzQxPbr7I6Tn4uLEDxoUXNg24Y1bRz15L1o6BCudTI8k%24) because of traffic debt. Lower-income individuals who lose their licenses or have their cars impounded until expensive fees are paid disproportionately lose their jobs. And where does that cycle leave their families and communities? In what manner is this good governance?

 [Read the full article now at the Boston Globe online.](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/10/19/opinion/how-something-simple-speeding-ticket-can-worsen-inequities/)



 

 

 

##  About the Author 

###  <a></a>Stephen Goldsmith    ![Headshot of Stephen Goldsmith](/sites/g/files/omnuum10826/files/styles/hwp_1_1__100x100_scale/public/datasmart/files/goldsmith_headshot_2018.jpg?itok=_stVEJro) 

 



 Stephen Goldsmith is the Derek Bok Professor of the Practice of Urban Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and the director of Data-Smart City Solutions at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University. He previously served as the mayor of Indianapolis and deputy major of New York City.

 [Read Professor Goldsmith's full bio here](/stephen-goldsmith).



 

 



 

 See also:- [ Equity ](/topics/equity)
 
 

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