Towed Into Debt: How Towing Practices in California Punish Poor People
This report shows the circumstances that lead to a person having their car towed and the consequences that follow in different counties across California.
Traffic Fines and Fees
A large-scale analysis of racial disparities in police stops across the United States
To assess racial disparities in police interactions with the public, researchers compiled and analyzed a dataset detailing nearly 100 million municipal and state patrol traffic stops conducted in dozens of jurisdictions across the country.
Personal Narrative: Russell
During the early morning of January 2, 2019, Russell was pulled over for his headlight and the officer informed him that his license was suspended. Russell had no idea that his license was suspended and later found out that it was because he had unpaid tickets from 5 to 6 years ago.
Driver’s License Suspension in North Carolina: A Report Analyzing Data from 1986 – 2018
This research article highlights the prevalence of driver’s license suspensions in North Carolina due to unpaid fines and fees and failures to appear in court for traffic offenses.
Personal Narrative: Rick
Rick Venable is currently homeless and sleeping in the woods in Jacksonville as a result of a spiral that started with driver's license suspension.
Personal Narrative: Celeste
Celeste Sawyer is a single mother of five children living in Florida. Her driver’s license was suspended, because she accumulated $584 of traffic ticket debt.
Driven By Debt: How Driver’s License Suspensions for Unpaid Fines and Fees Hurt Texas Families
This report discusses the various ways debt-based driver’s license suspensions harm Texas drivers, especially those that are low-income and minorities.
Texas House Bill 2754: Arrests for failure to pay or failure to appear.
This bill, which did not pass, would have limited the use of arrest for fine-only offenses in Texas.
Personal Narrative: Melanie
Melanie is a white, 45-year-old resident of South Carolina. As a mother, she tries her best to care for her children but she has not been able to provide basic healthcare for them for years due to her license suspension.
Personal Narrative: Kevin
Kevin lives in a rural town in Alabama and is disabled. He relies on his monthly disability check to support him and his partner. He could not afford car insurance, but he continued to drive since there are no other viable options for transportation where he lives. After he was ticketed for lack of insurance, his license was suspended and his fine only compounded the thousands of dollars in court debt he already owed.