137,450

Kansans’ driver's licenses suspended due to unpaid fees and fines as of June 2019

5th

In 2018, Kansas had the fifth highest suspension rate in the country.  ​

71%

71% of new suspensions were due to unpaid tickets, court costs, and/or fines.

Read our 2020 Policy Brief on license-for-payment traps.

Driver’s license suspensions are a major barrier to maintaining employment, getting to the doctor’s office, taking children to school, and going to the grocery store. The system-wide practice of suspending driver’s licenses for unpaid debt dramatically impacts the economic wellbeing of the individual, household, and community. Research also shows Kansans of color and those experiencing poverty are disproportionately impacted by debt-related driver's license suspensions, and, on average, their suspensions last longer.

​Suspending an individual’s driver's license also wastes public resources. When courts and law enforcement agencies are spending time enforcing and processing license suspensions, they are being used as debt collectors instead of as institutions that advance public safety.

Reports have shown increasing fines and penalties on those who cannot afford to pay does not lead to an increase in collection, it only leads to an increasing amount of uncollected monies. There is not a good connection between suspending someone’s driver’s license and collecting their fine or penalty.

License-for-payment traps rig the system against those experiencing poverty. Suspending driver's licenses for unpaid fines or fees is simply bad public policy, and it's past time for reform. 

Have you been directly impacted?

You have the power to impact change. 

Kansas Appleseed and Kansas Legal Services are researching the status of driver’s license suspensions/revocations in Kansas. We are looking at the relationship between unpaid court debt, including fines, fees, court costs, and interest or penalties on unpaid fines and fees, and the suspension or revocation of drivers' licenses.

​Your responses will be kept confidential. Please click below to fill out our quick form. 
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