


The bills would recognize the fact that many low-income drivers lose their licenses because they can’t pay fees and fines, not because of poor driving.Īmong the offenses that wouldn’t be punished with a license suspension under the legislation are failing to report a change of address, not providing proof of insurance or not paying fines for several civil infractions under the Vehicle Code. The House Judiciary Committee recently heard testimony on a package of bills to make the change, but has not yet voted on them. “A traffic ticket with an initial infraction of $125 can become $1,118 with all additional fees and fines, if a person misses a due date and it results in a suspension of the license in two months.

“It’s hard, especially for the 14% of Michigan residents who live in poverty, to pay the initial ticket fine,” Marshall-Shah said. “They continue to drive without a valid driver’s license as they need to earn money to reinstate the license. “Michiganders need their driver’s license in their everyday life to get to work, go to grocery stores or visit doctors,” Marshall-Shah said. Suspensions for such non-driving offenses as failing to pay parking ticket fines or fees for late payments criminalize poverty, he said. Three out of four Michiganders with suspended driving licenses continue to drive anyway, said Simon Marshall-Shah, a state policy fellow at the Michigan League for Public Policy, a nonprofit group that advocates for low-income residents. LANSING – The threat of losing your driver’s license for offenses unrelated to dangerous driving would be eliminated under bills pushed by advocates for low-income Michigan residents. Spartan Newsroom - News and information from student journalists at the Michigan State University School of Journalism About the Michigan State University School of Journalism.
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