HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania Turnpike officials say their inability to sufficiently punish toll violators helped contribute to the more than $33 million in outstanding and uncollected tolls.

KDKA-TV reports (http://cbsloc.al/20p3USl ) that 70 percent of the roughly 1.5 million violators eventually pay the fees.

While other states can invalidate a vehicle's registration, fine violators, and even jail them, Commission Chairman Sean Logan says Pennsylvania violators are simply billed for a toll from the furthest point, plus a $25 dollar processing fee. If they receive no response after the first or second notice, the case is then handed to a collections agency, which is prohibited from reporting non-payments to credit bureaus.

Logan says the number of uncollected tolls will increase significantly if the turnpike continues to toll electronically without the ability to enforce the fees.

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Information from: KDKA-TV,

http://www.kdka.com