GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. -- COVID-19 has not only financially crippled thousands of North Carolinian families, but it has added even more stress on those who have lost their driver’s licenses over unpaid fines and fees.
The League of Women Voters in Guilford County partnered with other organizations to try and help these families find some sort of relief and education about their situation.
A report by Duke University, released in 2019, found that at the time roughly 263,000 drivers have had their licenses suspended due to unpaid fines.
Guildford County recorded the highest number of suspended licenses with more than 70,000. Read the report here.
By October of 2020, those numbers were roughly down to 35,000, with 1,300 having already been dismissed by a Guilford County judge at the recommendation of the district attorney.
While encouraging, that number is still the highest in the state.
Tricia de Beer, one of the leaders of the group, explained that they’ve spoken to hundreds of drivers who have been kept off of the road because of a suspended license.
“Their jobs are affected, their access to education is effected, their access to public health,” she said.
For some, it has also impacted their ability to seek employment, and college opportunities.
“62 percent of the people who are impacted by this are African American. That’s a higher portion than there is the population,” she said.
The group, and their partners, have held webinars to educate those 35,000 drivers who have reached out for help.
On Tuesday, April 6, the group is also hosting a writing seminar where they will write letters to the district attorney.
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