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A DRIVER has won a lawsuit after being falsely charged with driving with a suspended license by her governing DMV.
The state of South Carolina ruled in her honor and had the state’s Insurance Reserve Fund pay $12,500 to the woman to settle the case on behalf of the Department of Motor Vehicles.
The woman who won her case against the DMV worked at the Orangeburg County jail[/caption]
The lawsuit included documentation showing that the driver’s license would specifically not be suspended even if she did not pay the fine[/caption]
April Collins said that the situation in which she was falsely accused of making a serious traffic infraction caused her “catastrophic physical and emotional suffering,” local CBS affiliate WRDW reported.
The woman who won her case against the DMV worked at the Orangeburg County jail.
Ironically, that’s where she was booked after she was unjustly arrested for driving with a suspended license.
The lawsuit states that Collins received a “minor” speeding ticket in May 2018 and later paid a $76.88 fine in August of that year.
The woman explained that she was “publicly humiliated” and that the situation was “horrible, traumatizing and injurious.”
It included documentation showing that her license would specifically not be suspended even if she did not pay the fine.
The driver stressed she had no idea her license was listed as suspended in the DMV’s system.
This lack of knowledge led to her arrest by the South Carolina Highway Patrol in January 2019.
The SCDMV did not respond to WRDW’s request for comment.
The agency did not immediately respond to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment, either.
While Collins was able to prove that she was falsely accused, lawmakers have warned that thousands of drivers are likely risking suspension as of the first of this month.
A new road law went into effect on July 1 getting rid of a $500 opt-out option for drivers who don’t want to buy car insurance.
Thousands of car owners were choosing to do this each year instead of being insured.
Now, Virginia drivers must purchase car insurance or they risk getting their licenses suspended.
Virginia’s DMV said it expects around 6,000 drivers to be blindsided by the new law.
Insurance premiums have risen higher than inflation in dozens of states across the US.
The CEO of the Mega Insurance Center said that drivers used the loophole to avoid the cost of vehicle insurance.
That being said, lawmakers believe if all vehicles on the road are insured, it will bring down the monthly costs.
“It takes a lot of movement to move the needle on the overall premium costs to drivers in Virginia,” Brown said.
“I think it’s the right move to make, and maybe down the line, it will influence rates in a better direction if we have people being a little bit more responsible about maintaining insurance coverage.”
