For most people, a speeding ticket means a grumpy day and a painful check to put in the mail. But for Michigan drivers, it often means paying the original ticket, plus another fee assessed by the state.
Depending on the violation, that fee can be assessed more than once over a number of years, and those fees can snowball. Right now, more than 317,000 Michiganders owe an average of around $1,800 in driver responsibility fees. If they can’t pay up, they risk having their driver's license suspended.
This week, Crain's Detroit Business senior reporter Chad Livengood wrote about these fees. He spoke with Michigan Radio's Morning Edition host Doug Tribou about how they are affecting drivers and companies trying to hire new employees.
Correction: A previous version of this post noted that "more than 113,00 Michiganders owe an average of around $1,300 in driver responsibility fees." The state clarified that the figures are much higher. It's been corrected above.
