Bad news, folks - a study by the Maine Judicial Branch Violations Bureau recently compared Maine's speeding fines to those in other New England states and found that our fines for some of the more trivial infractions in Maine were higher than neighboring states.

The good news is that as a result, a reduction in fines – about a 15 percent decrease – took effect Monday. The Maine Judicial Branch Violations Bureau passed the reduction because of the study's results, but according to the Press Herald the decrease could also be thanks to the perception that officers are more reluctant to write tickets that could be a financial burden to a low-wage earner and instead just issue warnings when tickets are more appropriate.

“When you’re earning minimum wage and you’ve got a family to support, these fines can add up to a lot of money,” said Robert Schwartz, executive director of the Maine Chiefs of Police Association in an interview with Press Herald. "...Guess who takes all the grief for a speeding fine. It’s all on the police officer.”

So the good news is, you might not have to choose between paying a speeding ticket or going grocery shopping this week. However, officers may be quicker to issue a full blown ticket as opposed to a second or third warning. The moral of the story is: drive safely, don't be a speed demon and none of this concerns you!

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