This report is the final phase in a series of four reports investigating the effectiveness and appropriateness of Washington State's fee and fine system through evaluation of the complete fee and fine process mentioned above.
Information generated in the overall research project can guide implementation of that subsystem.
This information, in addition to more detailed analysis in the actual report, contributes to the identification and nature of overweight permit violations. Hence, defendants who live out of state tend to pay their fines rather than returning to contest their case in court. A survey of cities and counties throughout the state revealed that larger cities and more urban counties have greater involvement in weight enforcement programs, whereas smaller cities and more rural counties have less involvement. These results could indicate a probable need for heightened weight enforcement programs in smaller cities and rural areas where transport of heavy agricultural and wood products is known to generate substantial truck traffic. Vehicle observations for the year 1994 allowed investigation of seasonal variations in the violation and capture rate in addition to differences due to truck type.