NY May End Suspending Driver's Licenses Over Traffic Tickets

Currently in New York, driver's licenses are automatically suspended if you forget to show up for an appearance in traffic court. And two-thirds of all license suspensions are due to unpaid tickets or failing to appear in court.

A proposed state law would eliminate automatic driver's license suspensions for failing to appear in traffic court or not paying fines.
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Jon Craig

06/22/2019 5:00 p.m.

That would change under proposed state legislation.

A recent study by the Driven By Justice Coalition, a group of nonprofit criminal and economic justice advocates, found that most suspensions involve drivers who are minorities or poor. The suspension can become an otherwise avoidable entry into the criminal justice system, the coalition argues.

Titled "Opportunity Suspended," the study found that between January 2016 and April 2018, New York issued nearly 1.7 million driver’s license suspensions for vehicle and traffic violation debts. The study's data show clear correlations between race and poverty in relation to license suspensions.

Don't be fooled into thinking you can skip out on traffic court or fines altogether. Unpaid fines could still be converted into civil judgments under the proposed law.

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