The Pennsylvania Turnpike is cracking down on unpaid tolls in court

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Pennsylvania Turnpike is cracking down on people not paying tolls and taking some of them to court.

According to the Trib , one woman owed just under $800 in unpaid tolls. So this month, the Turnpike Commission took her to court and with added administrative fees, her unpaid bills went from $800 to almost $10,000.

If you've ever driven the Turnpike and received a toll bill in the mail and you thought you could get out of paying it, you might want to think again. The Turnpike Commission will attempt to collect. If you ignore the collection attempts, the commission hires lawyers, and you could find yourself in court.

At this moment, drivers owe the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission $68 million in unpaid tolls and the commission actually needs that money. Many don't realize 100% of the Pennsylvania Turnpike's operating expenses come from the tolls you pay. Tax dollars and state and federal funding do go toward construction but in terms of operations, it's all about the tolls.

"Customers have the choice of using our toll road or not using it," Pennsylvania Turnpike Secretary Crispin Havener said. "So when we charge tolls, the expectation is they should pay and when they don't we do have to take action sometimes."

The commission typically gets about 94% of unpaid tolls within 150 days. After that 150 days, things move to what the commission calls "enforcement initiatives." That can eventually mean taking you to court.

It's important to note that these are civil cases and not criminal cases. And it's important to know the commission doesn't desire to bring these cases against you. They'd much rather work with you to resolve the issue. They're not out to get you, but they do expect you to pay your tolls.

"In extreme cases, as a bit of last resort, we do take civil action," Havener said.

If you do owe tolls, the commission will work with you to set up a payment plan and reach settlement agreements. Just go online and search the Turnpike Commission and call them and ask for that. If you don't, you may find yourself before a judge, not only paying your back tolls but thousands of dollars in administrative fees.