Michigan's Driver Responsibility Fees
Confused about responsibility fees and why you owe so much money to the State? As a Flint criminal attorney/lawyer I have handled thousands of DUI and traffic-related offenses and the responsibiity fees can be not only confusing, but very expensive. If you are caught up in this revolving door and can't get your license back, you may need the help of an
experienced drivers license restoration lawyer. I have helped thousands of people just like you get their license back.
Here is how you can get socked with responsibility fees:
Specific Qualifying Offenses
A person may be subject to driver responsibility fees for certain traffic offenses, regardless of their prior driving record. These fees are imposed by the Secretary of State and collected by the Treasury Department and are in addition to any fines or costs assesed by the court following a conviction for a traffic offense. A driver convicted of a specific qualifying offense such as Operating While Intoxicated, Operating While Impaired, Reckless Driving, Fleeing and Eluding, Driving While Suspended, etc... will be assesed responsibility fees for these types of convictions. OWI, for example, carries a responsibility fee of $1,000 each year for two years. Even something seemingly as minor as No Proof of Insurance in Vehicle will trigger a $200 responsibility fee for two years. Again, this is in addition to any fines imposed by the court.
Bad Driving Costs
Even if you are not convicted of one of the specific offenses for which responsibility fees apply, bad driving can still lead to assessment of responsibility fees. Traffic offenses such as Speeding, Disobey Traffic Signal, etc... will not by themselves result in responsibility fees. However, even these minor traffic offenses can lead to responsibility fees if an excessive number of these tickets are accumulated on an individual driving record in a given period of time. Responsibility fees start at $100 for seven points and go up to $500 for 15 points.
Collection of Responsibility Fees
As always, the government WILL get their money. If responsibility fees are assessed against you, first you will get a letter from the Treasury Department indicating how much is due and when. If you cannot pay as requested, you may contact the department to work out a payment arrangement. If fees are not paid or a payment arrangement is not adhered to, your license will be indefinitely suspended for failure to pay responsonsibility fees and will remain suspended until fees are paid. Once you fail to keep up payments on a payment agreement, you may not be able to get another payment agreement and your license will remain suspended until paid in full.