FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 2000
CONTACT: SID GAULDEN, 803-896-8755
DMV BRANCH OFFICES CAN CLEAR "FAILURE TO PAY
TRAFFIC TICKET" SUSPENSIONS EFFECTIVE MAY 15
COLUMBIA – The South Carolina Department of Public Safety announces that as of May 15 all Division of Motor Vehicles branch offices can clear "failure to pay traffic ticket" (FTPTT) suspensions. In the past, those suspensions could only be cleared by mail or in person in Columbia.
South Carolina state law, Section 56-25-20, requires DMV to suspend a person’s driver’s license indefinitely for failing to comply with the terms of a traffic citation in state or out of state. From July 1, 1998 through June 30, 1999, DMV suspended the driver’s license of more than 80,000 motorists for failure to pay traffic tickets. To clear the suspension, the driver must pay the fine in the appropriate jurisdiction, obtain a compliance confirmation from the court and submit the compliance confirmation to DMV.
"We realize that it is inconvenient for someone to either make a special trip to Columbia or rely on the mail service in order to clear a failure to pay traffic ticket suspension," said DMV Deputy Director David Burgis. "We are working to find more ways to better accommodate our customers in the field offices."
The traffic ticket compliance that a motorist would need to provide DMV is part of a standard four-part form used in South Carolina and most other states. The third part of this form, or the blue copy, is given to the driver by the court when the ticket is paid. This blue copy is what the driver needs to bring to DMV in order to have the suspension removed. This form must be signed and dated by a court clerk or other authorized representative.
If the fine was paid before the beginning date of the FTPTT suspension, a $30 reinstatement fee is not required. If the fine was paid on or after the beginning date of the FTPTT suspension, a $30 reinstatement fee is required along with the compliance.
A driver with multiple FTPTT suspensions must submit a compliance confirmation and reinstatement fee for each suspension. If there are other suspensions pending against the motorist and those suspension reinstatement requirements have not been met, then the person’s driving privileges will remain suspended. In most cases a driver’s license can be issued in the branch office the same day the FTPTT suspension is cleared.
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