DETROIT (AP) — Michigan courts and municipalities are seeing a drop in revenue as police officers are writing a historically low number of traffic tickets.
The Detroit News reports that the State Court Administrator’s Office says there were almost 1.4 million traffic citations handled in district courts in 2016, a 45 percent drop-off since 2006.
The state House Fiscal Agency says statewide ticket revenue has dropped from around $150 million in 2006 to about $100 million in 2016.
Experts believe police staffing shortages are largely responsible for the decrease.
Jim Walker is legislative director of the National Motorists Association’s Michigan branch. He says a change in how speed limits are set has also affected ticket rates, with many areas raising the speed limit based on a 2016 law.