Some Driver Responsibility Fees end this month

Secretary of State Ruth Johnson recently praised the elimination, which she advocated for, of Driver Responsibility Fees for lesser driving offenses that went into effect Monday. "These fees have been a costly burden on Michigan residents and I'm pleased to see some of them go," said Johnson, who voted against all driver responsibility fees as a state representative and has worked for their repeal. "Citizens already have to pay court fines and usually see higher insurance rates for violations. These extra fees have made things tougher for many families." Public Act 255 of 2011 does away with $150 driver responsibility fees, charged for two consecutive years, for the following violations, committed on or after Oct. 1: --Operating a motor vehicle with an expired operator's or chauffer's license. --Operating without a valid license. --Having more than one license. --Failing to surrender licenses from other states. The law also eliminates $200 driver responsibility fees, charged for two consecutive years, for these violations, committed on or after Oct. 1: --Failing to have mandatory motor vehicle insurance coverage. --Failure to produce proof of insurance. --Knowingly providing false evidence of insurance. Drivers who owe these fees for offenses committed before Oct. 1 still will be responsible for paying them. Other driver responsibility fees of $500 and $1,000 for two consecutive years for a variety of more serious motor vehicle offenses, including alcohol-related, controlled substance and reckless driving violations, remain in place. Johnson thanked Sen. Bruce Caswell of Hillsdale for sponsoring Senate Bill 166, legislators for passing it with bipartisan support and Gov. Rick Snyder for signing it into law. For additional information about Secretary of State programs and services visit www.michigan.gov/sos. Sign up for the official Secretary of State Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/michsos and Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/michigansos. Published: Tue, Oct 2, 2012