Some major changes are coming to the way Michigan handles suspended driver’s licenses.
A newly passed set of bills went into effect Friday and they will make it so the state no longer suspends a driver’s license for infractions that don’t impact driver safety. That means missing court appearances or unpaid fines will not result in having it taken away.
That also means that nearly 75,000 Michiganders who have had their license suspended will automatically get it back. There will still be punishment for unpaid fees or missed dates but it won’t be through license seizure.
“We really have two overarching goals here, one is to incentivize good driving and this does not,” said Tom Boyd, state court administrator, “The other is to keep people out of jail that don’t belong there. If someone’s in jail because they owe us 50 bucks, that isn’t keeping us safer. We should limit the people who are in jail, to people who need to be in jail to enhance public safety.”
Drivers who qualify to receive their license privileges back will be notified by the Secretary of State soon.
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