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There are at least three problems:

• Since most speed limits are arbitrary and not based on any safety measurements, the charity associated with exceeding them becomes irrelevant. Why single out head injuries? Why not give the money to breast cancer research, save the polar bears or any other worthy cause?

• The state knows some of the money doesn't go the the head injury fund at all - it goes into the general fund. Yet official state publications such as the Driver's Manual and the Uniform Traffic Citations are re-printed over and over with the incorrect information. It's as if telling the people all of their surcharge is going to a worthy cause is supposed to make it more palatable, than telling them the truth: it's really a speeding tax.

• Since the Head Injury Surcharge is tied to violations of Chapter 90 of the Massachusetts General Law, it DOES NOT APPLY to speeding convictions on the MassPike roads, bridges and tunnels, which are violations of Title 730 of the Code Of Massachusetts Regulations. I estimated since 1999 the state collected about $12 million illegally. Where is a class-action-suit lawyer when you need one?

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