2008 was a rough year on all of us. It seems that everyone is having trouble making ends meet, including cash--strapped cities and towns across America. So what are money--challenged local government agencies supposed do to boost their revenue?

The answer, apparently, is to increase the number of tickets they give out for traffic violations.

While that may not be a fair solution, it certainly proves itself to be an effective one. An article from MSN Money concludes what we've always suspected, that "tickets are often as much about revenue as safety." When the economy takes a dive, tickets invariably go on the rise. Cities and counties are stepping up their efforts to catch and fine speeders and other traffic violators in hopes of filling up holes in their budgets. If you're not careful you might be one of the unlucky charged with patching up those gaps.

Beyond the original cost of paying for a ticket, getting caught committing a traffic violation has other ramifications. Most notably (and annoyingly) is the effect it has on your insurance policy. Even if you've had a clean driving record for years, a single ticket can still drastically increase your insurance costs.

If saving money is on your New Year's list of resolutions (and c'mon, who didn't put that on there?), then make sure to keep a close eye on your speedometer. Being cautious and aware while driving not only helps prevent accidents but may save you some serious cash as well.

–Erin

The pictures are taken from this photostream and used with the permission of a Creative Commons license.

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