HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017 04-18 Drivers get repair vouchers instead of tickets for broken car lights STAR TRIBUNE
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The Drive
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Drivers get repair vouchers instead of tickets
for broken car lights
By Tim Harlow APRIL 18, 2017 — 6:13AM
Police in a number of metro area cities are taking a new approach when stopping
motorists for driving with a nonworking headlights, taillights or turn signals. Instead of
tickets, they are handing out vouchers allowing the driver to get them fixed for free.
Through a program called "LightsOn!" officers in 16 communities have the option of
giving drivers a voucher, which allows them to take their vehicle to one of the eight
Bobby and Steve's Auto World locations in the metro area and get new lights put in. In
some cases, officers may issue a citation and give the driver a voucher.
The vouchers are meant to help low-income drivers keep their vehicles safe and in
proper working order, but there is no qualifying criteria drivers have to meet to get the
them. Officers make their best judgment in determining if a driver can't afford the cost
of the repair.
"Functioning lights are an important public safety issue, but we recognize the financial
burden that repairs and multiple tickets for equipment violations can put on people
living in poverty," said Maplewood Police Chief Paul Schnell. "It helps people avoid
economic uncertainty, solves a public safety issue and brightens someone's day. That
doesn't happen very often when you're writing tickets all day."
The cost of the repairs are covered through a grant from MicroGrants, a Minnesota
nonprofit that works to promote and support economic self-sufficiency, and Bobby and
Steve's Auto World.
Besides Maplewood, other participating departments include Minneapolis, St. Paul,
Brooklyn Center, Columbia Heights, Crystal, Edina, Maplewood, Mounds View,
Richfield, Robbinsdale, Roseville, Spring Lake Park, St. Louis Park and West St. Paul.
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http://www.startribune.com/drivers-getting-repair-vouchers-instead-of-tickets-for-broken-car-lights/4196...4/18/2017