Maryland Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Drivers could potentially start paying taxes based on the number of miles they drive.

A number of insurance companies and state governments are toying with this idea, according to MSN Money. They see the idea as a good one as they believe that it could make up the difference in the tax money they're losing from the increasing popularity of hybrid cars, fuel-efficient cars and electric vehicles. At least that's the government's excuse -- insurance companies just want to make more money.

Since these vehicles consume less fuel, government officials are looking for more ways to collect taxes from you. These taxes are commonly used for road projects.

Many safe driving advocates see this as a horrible idea. Many drivers enjoy taking the scenic routes and enjoy avoiding areas congested with heavy traffic. Charging drivers with more taxes per mile will only throw more drivers into dangerous, congested, speedy routes, in turn increasing risks of a car accident in Washington D.C. for everyone.

Our Maryland car accident attorneys understand that drivers aren't the first travelers to be targeted with use taxes. Private aircraft owners are also feeling the wrath. A number of states currently require private pilots to pay an excise tax, a registration tax, a fuel tax, a property tax, a use tax and a sales tax. These taxes only discourage travelers, both of planes and of vehicles, from considering safety first. Many motor-vehicle drivers will now be forced to take the more direct route to their destination, which is oftentimes the most dangerous, just to save some money behind the wheel. A pilot tax based on the number of landings is also under consideration. Typically, politicians haven't taken into account all the ramifications. Pilots often practice landings. Discouraging that will likely increase the number of general aviation accidents in Maryland and elswhere. The same is true for a use-tax on drivers.

The United States isn't the only country exploring this tax idea. European countries are also throwing it around. Their idea would have GPS systems installed into vehicles that would track the per-mile fees. This technology has already been experimented with in the Netherlands. This area has some of the most dangerous and severe traffic problems on that continent. Their experiment was heading for a per-mile charge that was supposed to take effect in 2012, but the system was canned last year when the new government took office.

A number of motorists are against the technology saying that it is too invasive.

"It is an issue we will have to deal with," said Mary D. Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board.

Here in the United States, Oregon, Minnesota and Texas have also proposed similar laws. Oregon is considering a fee of about 0.85 cents per mile until 2015 and then another jump to $1.85 through 2018. According to the most recent statistics, the average vehicle in America runs on about 25 miles per gallon. Motorists are currently paying less than 2 cents for each traveled mile in fuel excise taxes.

Another concern of safe driving advocates is that motorists will be more focused on the climbing price on their dash meter, similar to that of a taxi, instead of being focused on traffic.

"The trials work well, but it's first a psychological issue and second a political choice," Eric-Mark Huitema, a specialist with IBM, which developed the system, told the newspaper.