For nearly 15 years, motorists who have been deemed “dangerous” by the State of Michigan have been required to pay a “driver responsibility fee.”
The fee was put in place by the Legislature in 2003 and applies to drivers found guilty of offenses that are unusually reckless or dangerous to the public, such as driving under the influence and any felony resulting from the operation of a motor vehicle.
The fee has been $1,000 each year for two consecutive years. If a driver didn’t pay the fee, it could be charged over and over again and the person’s license could be taken away if the fee was not ultimately paid. While the fee was widely despised by drivers, it was very profitable for the State of Michigan, bringing in more than $100 million in revenue.
However, the driver’s responsibility fee soon came to be criticized as not being a deterrent to bad driving behavior. The fee’s constitutionality was also questioned. Critics (including a Kent County judge) asserted the fee took a heavy financial toll on drivers and basically punished them twice for the same offense because not only did they have to pay court costs, fines, etc., but also had to pay the driver’s responsibility fee to the Michigan Department of Treasury. In addition, critics argued the fee was punishing those people who simply would never be able to pay.
The Michigan Legislature repealed the driver’s responsibility fee a few years ago. Right now, Michigan is in the midst of phasing out the fee, which will no longer be assessed as of October 1, 2019. The phase-out schedule is:
• Crimes committed on or after October 1, 2016 -- 100% of the fee required to be paid over the first year, no payment for the second year.
• Crimes committed on or after October 1, 2018 -- 50% of the fee is required to be paid over the first year, no payment for the second year.
There is a slightly different schedule for drivers who are assessed the fee because they have 7 or more points on their driving record.
For details on the phase-out schedule, see https://www.michigan.gov/documents/driverresponsibility/DRFPhase-OutChart_470541_7.pdf
