Home>775Times>Minor Traffic Violation Warrants Will Be Dismissed on January 1

Minor Traffic Violation Warrants Will Be Dismissed on January 1

By TheNevadaGlobeStaff, December 15, 2022 5:52 am

RENO, Nev. (775 Times, NV Globe) – Thousands of Nevadans will be able to drive without fear in a matter of weeks.

Assembly Bill 116, which decriminalizes minor traffic infractions, takes effect on January 1, 2023.

During last year’s parliamentary session, the legislation was voted on with the purpose of avoiding throwing individuals in jail because they can’t afford to pay or neglected to deal with a traffic concern.

“Our municipal courts are working hard on that and they’re just ensuring to comply with the law that if there’s a warrant for a traffic-related offense only, those warrants are going to be cleared,” said Sparks District Attorney Wes Duncan.

Although the measure regards many traffic offences as only civil fines, there will still be penalties for unpaid tickets.

“You can be reported to your insurance company and also the municipal courts can turn that over to collections,” said Duncan.

According to The Nevada Independent, matters that are now a civil infractions include:

  • carrying people in the bed of a truck
  • driving in a carpool lane with too few passengers
  • driving slowly and then failing to allow other cars to pass
  • talking on a cellphone while driving
  • lower-level speeding
  • bicycling in a prohibited area
  • not signaling when turning a bike or not having proper lights and reflectors on a bike
  • tampering with a required pollution control device
  • violating rules about vehicle length and width, and
  • failing to have insurance for an off-highway vehicle.

According to law enforcement, police will continue to patrol on a daily basis and warn drivers that more serious infractions, such as DUIs, driving with a suspended license, or reckless driving, can result in an arrest.

“The reason why an officer has to write a citation or pull somebody over is because of unsafe driving behavior or violation so, at the end of the day, all we want to do is to change that behavior,” said Patrol Captain, Corey Solferino, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.

“There won’t be anything that changes on the police department side, other than nobody will be out looking for traffic warrants or anything like that because those will be clear,” said Traffic Sergeant, Shawn Congdon, Sparks Police Department.

The majority of the effort is done behind the scenes, with agents working around the clock with the technology businesses that support their ticketing systems.

“To make sure that we can separate out which laws need to be still misdemeanors offenses, such as DUI or those kinds of things versus those that are mere infractions now, make sure there are no mishaps,” said Stephen Greenlee, PIO for the Reno Police Department.

For the time being, the present legislation will stay in effect.

Those who have outstanding traffic fines are advised to pay and clear them.

Credits: KoloTv

Copyright 2022 775 Times, NV Globe. All rights reserved.

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