Ask a Trooper – Littering hazards

 Question:  With the ditches filling with garbage and plastic bags hanging in trees, and the State hard up for money, why isn’t the $750 fine for littering enforced?
 Answer:  Littering is a misdemeanor violation. Misdemeanor violations have penalty limitations of $1000 or 90 days imprisonment or both, unless the bail schedule specifically lists a fine for an offense.  For littering, the local bail schedule lists fines from $125 to $165, depending on which statute is used when charging.  One statute lists a minimum fine of $400 for second or subsequent offenses.  Fines for all offenses are split up, so the amount the State gets is less than half or even less than one third of what the listed fine is, depending on where the violation occurred.  People tend not to litter when there are police present. Generally, we have to observe the violation to charge someone.
 There are also civil penalties for littering that may be imposed.  From that perspective, the State could possibly benefit, though it is indeed a rare occurrence. As far as the littering issue itself, people just need to grow up and stop littering. It is a big problem.  Kids see their parents littering, so they litter too. When I walk the ditches, I mostly see empty beer containers, empty cigarette packs, thousands of cigarette butts, and fast food wrappers.  What does that say about our society?  I think you get the picture, but read on.
 According to a recently published report citing the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the debris littering the roadways causes 25,000 crashes and as many as 90 deaths a year in the United States and Canada.  According to the report, much littering is from trucks and other vehicles losing loads because of failure to properly secure the loads. (Film director Alan J. Pakula was killed on the Long Island Expressway when a pipe that had fallen off a truck crashed through his windshield.)
 Even small objects on roads can cause serious problems because drivers can lose control of their vehicles when they are trying to avoid the object in the road.  I have personally noticed that food thrown on the road draws animals, which come to eat the food and then gets hit by vehicles.  Don’t forget the old saying, “Give a hoot, don’t pollute!”
 If you have any questions for future columns concerning motor vehicle traffic in Minnesota, please send your questions to:  “ASK A TROOPER” c/o Sgt. Curt S. Mowers MN State Patrol P.O. Box 644 Brainerd, MN  56401.   Questions are edited.