New Law Reduces Penalties for Driving While Suspended If Suspension Is for Parking Ticket or Minor Offense

On October 12 Governor Corzine Signed Legislation which clarifies that a person whose license has been suspended for failure to comply with a time payment order or for failure to respond to or pay a parking judgment is not subject to the same penalties as a person whose license has been suspended for a driving related offense. Under current law, failure to comply with a time payment order and failure to respond to or pay a parking judgment are codified as serious driving related offenses. Offenders are subject to fines that are not commensurate with the offense. For example, under the current law, a person whose license was suspended twice for failure to pay a parking ticket would be subject to the penalties set forth in N.J.S.A. 39:3-40 b. which includes imprisonment for not more than 5 days and a fine of $750. It was the sponsor’s belief that this penalty is not appropriate for an offense such as failure to pay or respond to a parking ticket. N.J.S.A. 39 The New law states: If the violator’s driver’s license to operate a motor vehicle has been suspended pursuant to section 9 of P.L. 1985, c.14 (C.39:4-139.10) or for failure to comply with a time payment order, the violator shall be subject to a maximum fine of $100 upon proof that the violator has paid all fines and other assessments related to the parking violation that were the subject of the Order of Suspension, or if the violator makes sufficient payments to become current with respect to payment obligations under the time payment order. For details on fines & jail, go to KennethVercammen.com