An “accident” is an unforeseen or unplanned event or circumstance. And the very purpose of the state’s emergency services is to assist people who find themselves in these unanticipated situations.
So we’re troubled by an increasing number of emergency services departments charging citizens an extra “accident response fee” for simply doing their jobs.
As Brian Maass of KCNC-Channel 4 recently reported, a number of Colorado fire departments have begun to levy “crash fees” as a new means of charging people who, often through no fault of their own, are in trouble.
These fees — which are nothing more than a user tax — are aimed at drivers in need of help who reside outside the jurisdiction of their accident.
So if you happen to live in Denver and find yourself in an accident in south Adams County, you may have to pay for your trouble.
A bill under discussion at the Capitol would make it easier for jurisdictions to charge in this way. We hope that bill disappears.
As one fire district president explained to Maass, “Our view is that without the charges, the taxpayers of this district are subsidizing the people who do not pay taxes or make any other significant contribution to the district, but do make significant demand upon and use of the district’s resources. The demand and use is a significant financial and physical detriment to the district.”
But since the majority of residents in any jurisdiction are not likely to use emergency assistance, it seems only fair that they have equal protection everywhere in the state. If not, taxpayers are financially on the hook for supporting emergency services twice.
Certainly, citizens don’t ask for refunds when they are lucky enough to not need assistance, so we see no reason to burden them in this manner. Furthermore, emergency services are not a competitive enterprise, so the arbitrary nature of a fee has the potential to be unfair, as well as dissuade people from reporting accidents.
Some states have passed legislation to allow accident-response fees, while others have prohibited this unreasonable charge. We would rather see the latter become the law. We’ve already paid our “crash tax.”
