'Ignorance of the law excuses no one" is a legal principle meaning that a person who is unaware of a law may not escape liability for violating it merely for being unfamiliar with its provisions.

That pretty much explains what is at work for thousands of violators of the E-ZPass toll at the new Route 903 E-ZPass only interchange on the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. And make no mistake about it, this interchange in Carbon County (Exit 87) is bringing a financial windfall to the commission - hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines from motorists who go through the tollbooths without the E-ZPass transponders.Since the interchange opened on June 30, more than 50,000 vehicles have used the toll plaza. A little more than 10 percent of those motorists either ignored the large sign saying "E-ZPass Only," didn't see it or, if they did see it, didn't know what it meant, because they may have been from a non-E-ZPass state.Most of the violators getting off the interchange will be fined $60.11 - a $25 administrative fine plus $35.11 in toll fees. Those entering the turnpike without E-ZPass cannot get a toll ticket to show upon exit and will be charged from the farthest entry point, which is the Ohio state line. That rate is $64.75. For a first violation, a $25 administrative fee is tacked on; if the motorist does not respond within 30 days, a second notice goes out, and the fee rises to $40. Since the commission isn't able to track where a motorist entered the Turnpike, it assumes the violator came from the farthest point some 400 miles away.If a motorist has a toll ticket indicating where he or she entered the turnpike, the $25 fine for first-time violators will be waived, and the toll fee will be adjusted to the amount the driver would have paid. If a motorist lost a ticket, the commission will also consider receipts showing where the violator was before entering the turnpike. "There is going to be a learning curve. We are understanding, and we do recognize that people are learning," said Carl DeFebo, the commission's director of marketing and public relations.The commission concedes that the rate of violators is high at this interchange compared with other E-ZPass-only interchanges, but predicts that as motorists become acclimated to the situation, the violation rate will decrease with each succeeding month.The Route 903 interchange, constructed to provide better access to some resort and ski areas, is the first E-ZPass-only area on the Northeast Extension. There are three other E-ZPass only interchanges in eastern Pennsylvania, all on the East-West section of the Turnpike.E-ZPass allows people to go through toll booths without stopping; a device at the booth reads a transponder mounted on the vehicle's windshield and electronically deducts the amount of the toll from a prepaid account. The turnpike takes photos of violators' license plates, then mails summonses.How do you get around this dilemma if you do not have an E-ZPass account? Keep going to the next exit - Pocono, if northbound (Exit 95), about 13 miles away, or Mahoning Valley if southbound (Exit 74), about 8 miles away. Both are full-service toll plazas. While it may add a few miles to the trip, it will be well worth saving the fines and hassles that go with it.With more than 28 million E-ZPass tags in circulation among 26 toll agencies across 15 states, E-ZPass is the world's largest interoperable tolling system. E-ZPass users pay about 35 percent less than cash rates on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. E-ZPass has been available in Pennsylvania for 15 years.While some motorists have been grumbling about the unfairness of the new interchange's E-ZPass-only policy, we say: Read the signs and obey the law. If you don't, you do so at your peril and your pocketbook's.BRUCE FRASSINELLI |

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