My 17 year old shouldn't be responsible for driving

[myswtghst]

Only toll roads I can personally speak for are in Illinois, and there the tolls start at about a dollar, depending on where the toll plaza is.

It's a little lower if you have their I-Pass dealy, but I don't because I'm not in that state nearly enough for that to make sense.

Pretty much. Here in IL, most tolls are $1-$1.50 ish, cheaper if you have an I-Pass (which charges back to your account), in attempt to get more people to use the I-Pass, as it makes open road tolling possible. I personally <3 my I-Pass.

From what I've experienced in other states, parts of Indiana on the toll road (80/90) do it similar to Ohio - you pick up a ticket at a start point, then, depending on where you get off and how far you've gone, you pay anywhere from $0.50 to a few dollars.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Supposedly, if you run a toll in the US, the toll booth has a camera on it that takes a picture of the license plate. I don't believe that's true though. Driving through New Hampshire one time, we paid the toll and the light didn't change, so we took off and a bell went off, but that was it, no picture, no ticket.

There may have been a camera but if they reviewed the film they may have been able to see that you actually did pay the toll? I have EZ-Pass and once or twice it didn't read the signal...the camera would have caught my plates and they would have been able to find out that I have EZ-Pass and charge my account (well, my dad's account, actually, since I don't use it enough to get my own. I just pay him back for my tolls).

Tolls in the USA are mostly less than $1 right? I remember Mum & Dad tossing quarters in at toll points. Over here it's more like $10 (for all day travel) to get from the city to the airport.

Depends on the road. The NJ Turnpike records where you get on and off (either by having you take a ticket and collecting it at the other end, or electronically by EZ-Pass) and charge you accordingly. The Garden State Parkway has tolls at intervals along the road. You can buy tokens or pay with cash; I don't know what they are charging these days, though. Since we have EZ-Pass I just wait till my dad gets his statement and tells me what I owe him.

[Dave1982]

Tolls in the USA are mostly less than $1 right?

Depends on the road. If you're driving on the Ohio Turnpike]

THe moment I saw that post, I thought "hasn't seen the Ohio Turnpike!" only to find that in the very NEXT post.

In 2006 I took a road trip from the Boston area to the Chicago area. I'd budgeted $10 for tolls for the entire round trip and figured that'd be more than enough. Boy was I wrong. It was $8.30 to travel the entire length of I-80 through Ohio, each way, plus another $4.15 each way through Indiana! Ohio alone blew the toll budget by a huge margin. Ohio, plus Indiana, plus the other miscellaneous tolls (including several very annoying $0.15 basket tolls around Chicago) totalled close to $30. I was shocked. And I was thinking the $3 or so to go from I-84 to Boston on the Taxachusetts Turnpike was exhorbitant!

[Dreamstalker]

It's a little lower if you have their I-Pass dealy, but I don't because I'm not in that state nearly enough for that to make sense.

Some states that have EZ-Pass/FastPass/etc have reciprocal deals...EZ-Pass in MA works in NJ as well. Not sure about other states.

[Racket_Man]

Only toll roads I can personally speak for are in Illinois, and there the tolls start at about a dollar, depending on where the toll plaza is.

It's a little lower if you have their I-Pass dealy, but I don't because I'm not in that state nearly enough for that to make sense.

the Tri-State toll road in Illinois ie. I-94/I-294 starts out at the WI border at $1.75 then next is $1.50 the next at O'Hare is $1 and the fourth is $.80 with the I-55 exit being $.30. they have destructed/reconstructed the toll booths on this road about 5 times in the last 15 years until now there are mostly automated I-Pass lanes and 3 manual lanes (can not expect EVERYONE traveling thru Ill to have an I-Pass) the tolls WERE eventually supposed to go away but the state toll authority just keeps issuing bonds and "improving" the toll roads.

[ebonyknight]

I know that's true where I live in Virginia. They'll send you a fine in the mail, and it's a state-issued thing. I think they had to go back and start double checking the photos though... a while back, they fined about 1000 people for no reason.

Must be an East Coast thing. Most of the tolls are EZPass based (out of NJ). They are good up and down most of the coast, even though they are a NJ operation. My cousin forgot his EZpass (Dulles Toll road in VA) and ran a toll. I got a photo of the car and the license plate, with a fine (I own the car).

[TryNotToBeThatOne]

<SNIP> I'd budgeted $10 for tolls for the entire round trip and figured that'd be more than enough. Boy was I wrong. <snip> totalled close to $30. I was shocked. And I was thinking the $3 or so to go from I-84 to Boston on the Taxachusetts Turnpike was exhorbitant!

I love AAA. Not only did they tow my car for free (it was under the limit for free towing) but when I went to Ohio the 1st time, they told me how much the tolls were going to be & where they were. It made the trip so much easier to plan and take. Although I still don't understand the route that they gave us. But I did get experience driving a pick up on 2-lane highways in Appalachia.

[chops]

Some states that have EZ-Pass/FastPass/etc have reciprocal deals...EZ-Pass in MA works in NJ as well. Not sure about other states.

http://ezpassnh.com/static/info/facilities.shtml

[Becks]

Supposedly, if you run a toll in the US, the toll booth has a camera on it that takes a picture of the license plate. I don't believe that's true though.

It is. Ask my future sister in law.

You can buy tokens

You can still BUY tokens? I know you can still use them, but I heard from a reliable source that they don't sell them anymore.

[Slytovhand]

ok... I started it, I'll help to finish it (sort of....)

The device is called an 'e-tag' or a transponder (not a 'thingy', or 'beeper' or 'whatsit' - though in the US apparently it's also called a 'Smart Tag').

If you don't have a tag, well - depends on where you are. There is fully electronic, so you set up an E-pass account, or you have a cash-booth, or similar, or buy a pass.

If you have an account, you are legally required to have the numberplates on the account. That's because the toll points go down for maintenance and won't detect the tag - so to be covered, it does a rego matching.

Btw - if you go through the electronic bit for the tag, you may notice marks on the road - these are markers - lasers etc are used to determine vehicle dimensions etc, so that if a car tag is in a truck, they can tell!

And if you don't pay, it will go to local transport authorities to send a bill (or fine).

Oh - the joys of my job........... especially when I have to explain it....<sigh>

[Geek King]

In telling him it'll be too late, he gives me this spiel about how his son, at 17 years old, shouldn't have to be responsible for paying the toll, nor the penalty admin fee. Why...well - because he's only 17... and he only just got the car.... and he forgot..... (oh - and that 17 year olds don't earn enough money to pay for toll roads and admin fees)....

If you're adult enough to drive, then you're also adult enough to deal with the consequences. This is exactly why many states are trying to pass laws stating that no matter the age, vehicular homicide defendants are tried as adults. Too many people are using age as an excuse for things that a driver should know better than to do.

Yeah, I know we're just talking about tolls here...but this arguement always pisses me off. If you don't expect him to be able to handle the full resposibilities of controlling hundereds of pounds of potential death, then don't let him drive.

[technical.angel]

After all this talk, I'm REALLY glad MO doesn't have toll roads. They keep talking about putting tolls on Highway 70. I hope not!!!