The Wisconsin Department of Transportation released more than 100,000 revoked licenses over the weekend after a new law ended a stipulation requiring the state to take the licenses of residents who had four convictions of driving with a suspended license.
Previously, the DOT automatically revoked the licenses of people who had a non-driving fourth-offense Operating While Suspended, but the new law, signed by Gov. Jim Doyle in February, ended this automatic revocation.
The DOT was able to apply the law retroactively, so over the weekend they released 106,012 licenses collected over the past decade, according to a statement from the Center for Driver’s License Recovery and Employability.
Nichole Yunk, administrator for the center, said the difference between a non-driving and driving offense is that a driving offense is something that threatens public safety, like eluding an officer or drunken driving.
Yunk said revoking licenses for non-driving offenses mainly targets lower-income people who cannot afford to pay fines. If someone cannot afford to pay a fine for a ticket, they most likely will not be able to afford to pay any further fines, and eventually this build-up of fines can cause their license to be revoked.
“By far the [main] reason in Wisconsin for license suspension is failure to pay a fine,” Yunk said. “The fact is that they’re not threatening safety any more than any other driver, they just can’t afford to get out of it.”
The Center estimated the licenses being released by the DOT will positively affect over 400,000 low-income motorists, according to a statement.
Yunk said the new law now states that instead of an automatic revocation after a fourth offense, it will now be up to a judge to decide whether someone presents a danger on the road and should lose their license.
Most people who receive their licenses back will still likely be under suspension, Yunk added. The new law effectively makes it so that the fourth-offense is wiped from their record.
Low-income drivers with suspended licenses will still face problems, however. If someone’s license is revoked in Wisconsin, they are required to buy a special kind of high-risk insurance, which is much more expensive than regular, commercial insurance.
“These are poor people, they obviously can’t afford to pay their fines so they’re not going to be able to afford this high-risk insurance,” Yunk said.
The new bill discards this insurance requirement and also allows people to set up payment plans for their fines. Drivers can also request community service as an option if they are unable to pay the fines. Community service has always been an option, Yunk said, but the bill clarifies some of the language and makes it clearer for people to understand.
Yunk said the new law will hopefully help low-income drivers who, just because they are poor, have lost their licenses.
“Revocation should mean you’re a dangerous driver. Revocation shouldn’t mean you’re just too poor,” Yunk added.
