State to offer discounts for overdue traffic tickets

California drivers with outstanding traffic tickets may benefit from a limited amnesty program that begins Thursday.

Motorists withh unpaid fines originally due on or before Jan. 1, 2013, will be allowed to pay them off at reduced price. The discounts are either 50 percent or 80 percent, depending on the driver’s income, according to a statement from the California Superior Courts.

The program, authorized by Senate Bill 85, provides a process through which drivers who had their licenses suspended because they failed to pay an infraction fine or failed to appear in court can apply to have their driver’s licenses reinstated if they meet eligibility requirements.

Drunken-driving and reckless-riving violations are not eligible.

The Department of Motor Vehicles will charge a $55 driver’s license reinstatement fee. Courts are allowed to charge a $50 amnesty program fee.

The amnesty program, according to the state’s Superior Courts, provides relief to individuals who have had their driving privileges suspended, but encourages the payment of old debt. This allows courts and county collection programs to resolve old cases and focus resources on more recent cases.

Since 2006, the state has suspended 4.8 million driver’s licenses after motorists failed to pay or appear in court, the DMV said this year. Of those, only about 83,000 licenses were reinstated.

Traffic fines have been skyrocketing in the state. Twenty years ago, the fine for running a red light was $103. Today, it costs as much as $490 as the state has established add-on fees to support everything from court construction to emergency medical air transportation.

The cost can jump to more than $800 once a person fails to meet a deadline to pay or misses a traffic court appearance.

Beginning Thursday, people interested in participating in the amnesty program should contact the Superior Court in the jurisdiction where they received the ticket to determine their eligibility. The program will run through March 31, 2017.

For more information, visit www.courts.ca.gov/trafficamnesty.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story was originally published September 30, 2015 at 6:47 PM with the headline "State to offer discounts for overdue traffic tickets."