Drivers risking unpaid EZ pass tolls

Experts are attributing the lack of debt collections from toll booths to the stagnant economy, the Democrat and Chronicle reports. Approximately $3 million in debt is owed to Thruway due to drivers failing to pay EZ Pass tolls, according to the organization. EZ pass allows people to drive through toll booths with an authentication card placed in their car. A scanner at the booth reads the card as a car passes and automatically deducts the toll from the person's account. Drivers who overdraft their EZ Pass Accounts owe money to the state, and these debts have accumulated, analysts say. Drivers without EZ Pass scanners who use the automated lanes also escape paying tolls, and many don't pay the fines issued by mail.) "As the economy was kind of bad, maybe people took more chances, such as (not) putting money in their EZ Pass accounts or just deciding to blow through," said P.J.Wilkins, executive director of E-Z Pass Group in Delaware.