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Crackdown on toll scofflaws to begin Tuesday

By Ari Ashe

BALTIMORE, Md. — Starting Oct. 1, drivers who go through a toll booth at a bridge or on the Intercounty Connector without paying up could face problems with their vehicle registration.

Under a law passed in the General Assembly earlier this year, the Maryland Transportation Authority will now issue an enhanced video toll, also known as a notice of toll due. Previously, the MDTA sent out similar notices, which only contained limited information about the location, license plate, and date of the unpaid toll. Many drivers found the document difficult to understand and that it did not contain enough information about their rights.

The new notice will be a two page document, with a picture of the car in the upper right hand corner of the first page, along with the date, time and location of the unpaid toll. It also includes a four paragraph statement about the document and what you need to know.

“We think the addition of an image will be quite compelling because you can not only make out the license plate, but you can clearly tell the type of vehicle that’s traveling,” says MDTA Deputy Executive Secretary Deb Sharpless.

There will be new information on how to pay, how to contact MDTA and legal defenses under the law to contest it. Those include:

  • Driver is Not Owner
  • Leased Vehicle
  • Dealer Transporter Plate
  • Car was Stolen

The second page of the new notice of toll due also explains how you can prove each of these defenses to the MDTA or a court to get the toll thrown out. MDTA provided a sample document of the new notice with an agreement that WTOP would not publish it because it has not been finalized.

Drivers will get 30 days from the mail date to pay the notice of toll due. If the driver pays, the case is closed. If the driver does not pay, then the MDTA will issue a $50 ticket on top of the original toll. The driver has the option to challenge the ticket in court or pay up.

“If someone ignores the citation, we will either flag their registration for non-renewal or suspend their registration,” says Sharpless.

Non-renewal means that the MDTA will contact the Motor Vehicle Administration and a driver will be unable to re-register their license plate until the unpaid toll is paid off. Maryland drivers must re-register their car to get new stickers to put on their license plates or else a police officer could impound the car.

If a driver accumulates more than $1000 of unpaid tolls and penalties, then MDTA can instruct the MVA to suspend the vehicle’s registration immediately. Such a case is rare, but as WTOP reported this summer, the top 10 scofflaws on the Intercounty Connector owe MDTA nearly $30,000 in unpaid tolls going back to March 2011.

“This goes into effect next week, so we encourage anyone with any unpaid tolls to contact us and pay up immediately,” says Sharpless.

But what happens if the driver who doesn’t pay the toll does not live in Maryland? The new law allows MDTA to crack down on Maryland scofflaws, but does not empower them to go after drivers in the District of Columbia or Virginia in the same way.

“If someone whose car is registered outside of Maryland traveled in Maryland and did not pay their toll, they would still get the new notice of toll due, then receive the citation with the fine, then we would refer them to the state’s central collections unit,” says Sharpless.

“We wouldn’t be able to flag their registration for non-renewal or suspend their registration, but the central collections unit isn’t a lightweight. They have their own ability to collect outstanding debt. One of those is tax intercepts. If the person from out of state files a federal tax return, it’s very likely their refund will be intercepted to pay an unpaid toll in Maryland,” she says.

In certain cases, collection agencies can also garnish wages or report you to the credit bureaus, which will lower your credit score.

There are no reciprocity agreements with neighboring jurisdictions like the District of Columbia or Virginia. So until laws are passed in both jurisdictions on the issue, Maryland officials cannot contact the DC or Virginia DMV to request any action against a driver. Sharpless says they’ve talked to their counterparts in neighboring states and she’s hopeful that similar laws will be passed across the E-ZPass territory in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic over the next several years.

As far as rental car companies, most of them have paid up their unpaid tolls. Last year, The Washington Post reported rental car companies owed Maryland about $6.7 million in unpaid tolls since 2007. Now rental car companies are paying the unpaid tolls to the MDTA directly, then independently going after rental car drivers themselves to get reimbursed.

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Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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