Taken for a Ride
How excessive ticketing propels Alabama drivers into a cycle of debt, incarceration, and poverty
How excessive ticketing propels Alabama drivers into a cycle of debt, incarceration, and poverty
Traffic court fines and fees in Alabama can drive those already struggling financially off of the cliff. Policing decisions can result in exorbitant fines and fees, and some courts are jailing those who can’t pay.
All too often low-income, and Black drivers are most often burdened with the mounting court debt, which can cripple families and leave them without access to transportation, stripping their ability to work and shrinking their lives.
Federal grants intended to improve road safety more often give breaks to speeders and are instead used to heavily ticket drivers for regulatory infractions, who more often are low-income and people of color. The ticketing disparity is largest in Alabama’s more wealthy communities.
Taken for a Ride looks at how those policing decisions and court outcomes can impact some of the most vulnerable Alabamians.
How long Bryttian Linn remained in a county jail after being arrested for failing to appear at a court hearing to discuss two unpaid traffic tickets.
Percentage of people stopped for insurance infractions ticketed in the wealthy, mostly white Birmingham suburb of Mountain Brook; compared to 54% of those stopped for speeding.
How much more likely Black motorists are to be searched during a traffic stop than white ones, according to national figures
The percentage of law enforcement agencies statewide that received federal traffic safety funding but issued more warnings to speeders than to drivers with car insurance violations —who instead received tickets — adding fines and court fees to the costly burden for some families.
“They’d stop and harass you. And in the ending of it, they eradicated all those tickets because when the movement got going, it just didn’t make any sense.”
“I’m so tired. It’s been hard before, but it’s never been this hard.”
“It’s been a long time. I stopped driving because I didn’t want to go to jail. The last time I was pulled over I was locked up.”
“Informally, if you weren’t writing a ticket an hour you’d get into trouble.”
“We’ve lost sight of why we have municipal courts.”
Police should re-prioritize traffic stops to focus on safety rather than investigatory stops that more heavily ticket for regulatory infractions.
Courts should hold thorough ability to pay hearings before arresting drivers over unpaid court debt.
Lawmakers should insist on additional documentation regarding traffic stops and reconsider the costs of relying on revenue generated by traffic courts.
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice
400 South Union Street, Suite 355
Montgomery, Alabama 36104
2 Office Park Circle, Suite 10
Birmingham, AL 35223
Phone: (205) 963-7999
admin@alabamaappleseed.org