For some people, a minor traffic ticket is a mere inconvenience. But for many New Mexicans, a traffic ticket can be the start of a devastating chain of events for them and their families.
In the new year, hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans can no longer legally drive — not because they were dangerous drivers, but simply because they couldn’t afford to pay a traffic ticket. This cruel and counterproductive policy forces people into an impossible choice: Stop driving — and lose access to work and basic needs — or keep driving, thus risking even more insurmountable court debt.
I know — because I’ve been there. After receiving just one minor traffic ticket I couldn’t afford to pay, my license was suspended and I lost the freedom to drive. Like many New Mexicans, my driver’s license is my lifeline for survival — to get to my job, to pick up my kids at school, to bring my parents to the doctor and to access basic necessities.
At the time my license was suspended, my two children were very young and I was the only caretaker to my father. I needed to be able to drive, and I needed every dollar to go toward taking care of my family.
Yet because my case was traffic-related, I did not have access to a public defender who might have been able to help me navigate a confusing and intimidating court system. As a result, I agreed to payments I knew I could not afford, for fear of getting thrown in jail. After years of sacrifices, I was one of the lucky ones who climbed out of this financial hole and regained my ability to drive legally — but the suffering my family and I endured changed me.
I decided to help ensure other New Mexicans aren’t put in the impossible situation I was in. Now I’m organizing for more equitable policies, alongside other behavioral health and criminal justice professionals who have also been directly impacted by our state’s misguided policies.
And lately, there’s been reason for hope.
In just the last six years, 23 U.S. states — including Texas, Mississippi and Colorado — have passed legislative reforms to stop debt-based driver’s license suspensions. Unfortunately New Mexico is not one of these states, but our state lawmakers have an opportunity to right this wrong in this year’s legislative session, as Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth will champion the effort.
In the meantime, elected officials in my hometown of Santa Fe are leading the way. Our City Council passed a new ordinance last year to end debt-based license suspensions in Santa Fe — and approved a resolution calling on state lawmakers to follow suit. Santa Fe will continue to suspend licenses for dangerous driving, and it will continue to enforce traffic laws by ticketing and requiring the payment of fines and fees — although santafesinos will no longer lose their license simply because they can’t afford to pay a ticket immediately.
Ending debt-based suspensions statewide would be a win-win policy for families living paycheck to paycheck and for our state’s overall economy. As one of the hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans who have been harmed by this backward policy, I pray other hardworking parents are no longer forced to endure our state’s current lose-lose situation. This year, state lawmakers should put New Mexico families back in the driver’s seat.
Mona Serna is a member of the New Mexico Advisory Board on Fines and Fees.
The Santa Fe New Mexican observes its 175th anniversary with a series highlighting some of the major stories and figures that have appeared in the paper's pages through its history. The collection also includes archival photo galleries.
