“This law is significant because it ends a cycle of debt that stems from a simple traffic violation that many people find themselves in because they are unable to pay it,” Assemblywoman Rochelle Nguyen, who sponsored the legislation, said in a statement. Prior to the law taking effect, Nevada was one of 13 states to prosecute minor traffic violations as criminal misdemeanors rather than civil infractions, according to the Federal Sentencing Reporter.Ĭriminalizing minor traffic violations also affected individuals living in poverty who could not afford to pay a speeding ticket, as well as people of color, according to the Fines and Fees Justice Center, which argued that those kind of laws clog jails and courts, put Nevadans in debt and waste taxpayer money. Las Vegas Municipal Court voided nearly 35,000 traffic warrants, North Las Vegas quashed almost 16,000 and Reno Municipal Court voided about 1,900 traffic violations. Each court in the state canceled outstanding bench warrants for those minor traffic violations in preparation for the law to take effect Jan. 1, 2023, that person cannot be arrested for the offense, and it will instead become a civil matter. If someone committed a minor traffic violation before Jan. If the person does nothing in 90 days, they will automatically be found to have committed the traffic offense and will be required to pay certain expenses. Or they can contest the violation, and the case would go through a civil hearing where a judge would evaluate the facts and issue a ruling. They can choose not to contest the violation and pay the civil penalty, which would then get reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Someone who receives a civil infraction has 90 days to respond.
Major violations will still be misdemeanors and considered criminal offenses, such as drag racing, reckless driving and DUIs. 1.Īssembly Bill 116 establishes civil penalties for small traffic violations, such as speeding, or failing to use a turn signal when changing lanes, rather than criminal misdemeanors. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) in the new year, Nevadans who get pulled over for minor traffic violations like speeding and cannot pay the fines no longer need to worry about a criminal charge being issued against them.Ī bill passed in the last legislative session decriminalizing minor traffic violations and ending the practice of issuing arrest warrants when someone can’t afford to pay the fines will take effect Jan. Assembly Bill 116 establishes civil penalties for small traffic violations, such as speeding, rather than criminal misdemeanors. Rush hour traffic at the intersection of Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard on Wednesday, Jan.
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