Driver’s License Restoration

One major barrier to economic opportunity in New Jersey is public policy related to driver’s license suspension.  Of the approximately 900,000 driver’s license suspensions issued each year, more than half are for financial reasons--the failure to pay fines and fees. These problems occur disproportionately among low income urban residents.  With most of job growth occurring in suburban areas poorly served by public transportation, lack of a license puts good jobs out of reach for those who need them the most.

The Institute works to inform policymakers, advocates, employers and New Jersey residents about the impact of license suspension and the need for policy reform to reduce this costly barrier to employment. The Institute has also provided practical tools to help individuals overcome that barrier. 

Highlights include:

• Roadblock on the Way to Work– This 2001 report was the first to document the role of license suspension as a barrier to employment and to the state’s economic development goals.

• Getting Back on the Road – A manual for community advocates and others on helping individuals regain their driving privileges for the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, and trained hundreds of state employees and communities agencies on the process for license reinstatement; the Motor Vehicle Commission website links New Jerseyans with suspension problems to this resource.

• License Reinstatement Program (LRP) - A unique demonstration project of the Essex County municipal courts, which allows those with suspensions due to unpaid fines in the county to consolidate all fines into one affordable payment plan and reinstate their licenses while they pay the fines down.