Pro Bono News

Report: Minorities, Poor Residents More Likely to Have Their Driver's License Suspended

Thursday, April 14, 2016

"Racial minorities and lower-income Americans are often more likely to have their driver's licenses taken away, according to a new report from a civil legal aid group.

Motorists can have their driver’s licenses suspended for a variety of reasons, many of which are unrelated to any traffic violations. In most states, for example, licenses can be suspended for failure to pay child support. Some jurisdictions may take away licenses from drivers who fail to attend school, or even drivers who fail to keep up with their student loan payments.

But some of the most common suspensions result from failing to pay fines or appear in court. And it's those suspensions that led to stark disparities among racial minorities and poorer groups across California, according to the new study by the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area. The report makes the case that driver’s licenses are too frequently suspended for reasons unrelated to protecting public safety, often imposing detrimental consequences on those living in poverty."

Read Article Here