New York State is going to let drivers pay traffic fines in installments to avoid suspended licenses. It’s a move that has been years-in-the-making, according to advocates who say that the fine system unfairly impacts those without the means to pay them.
Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill into law on December 31st, 2020 permitting drivers to setup payment plans if they can’t afford a fine in its entirety.
In the past licenses and registrations have been suspended if fines are unpaid. The law will take effect on March 31st.
It was known as the Driver’s License Suspension Reform Act. “This law will provide real social justice to hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who have had their mobility impacted, their ability to provide for their family limited and their fright to freedom of movement curtailed simply due to their inability to pay a traffic ticket,” State Senator Tim Kennedy and Assemblywoman Pamela Hunter said. The two sponsored the bill. “Driving should not be attached to your income.”
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