137,450
Kansans’ driver's licenses suspended due to unpaid fees and fines as of June 2019
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5thIn 2018, Kansas had the fifth highest suspension rate in the country.
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71%71% of new suspensions were due to unpaid tickets, court costs, and/or fines.
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Poverty should not strip Kansans of their right to drive.
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 low-income status are more likely to have their driver’s license suspended, and, on average, their suspensions last longer.
Suspending an individual’s drivers 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.
Kansas is one of many states that perpetuates the cycle of poverty with a license-for-payment system. It is simply bad public policy, and it's past time for reform.
Suspending an individual’s drivers 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.
Kansas is one of many states that perpetuates the cycle of poverty with a license-for-payment system. It is simply bad public policy, and it's past time for reform.
Have you been impacted?
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Kansas Appleseed is 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 fill out the form. |
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