GTSAC Task Force Examines Suspended Driver Issue
In an effort to determine the scope of the suspended driver problem, the Governor’s Traffic Safety Advisory Commission (GTSAC) conducted the first meeting of a Task Force on Suspended and Revoked Drivers in October. Called by GTSAC Chair Robert Morris, the task force assembled a cross-section of the criminal justice community to examine the issue of suspended drivers and the possible role they play in traffic safety and crashes.
According to Morris, “This summer we saw more than our share of crashes where the driver was suspended, revoked, or never licensed. It seemed only appropriate that we look at that issue more closely to determine the extent of the problem and what we could do to mitigate it.”
Driving While License Suspended (DWLS) is the most common traffic violation in Michigan each year. In 2008, there were 193,000 suspensions for driving reasons and another 427,194 suspensions for non-driving reasons which could include but not be limited to drug convictions, non-payment of child support, unpaid parking tickets, or failure to pay a fine or appear in court. Penalties include jail time, plate confiscation, and vehicle immobilization.
The task force included attendees from law enforcement, traffic engineering, traffic safety, courts, licensing, and public defenders. Among the issues discussed were the number of drivers suspended for non-driving reasons, DWLS impact on court caseloads, lack of jail space for DWLS offenders, and consistency of the application of sanctions on offenders.
