Penalty fees for traffic violations could sharply increase

Public Safety Commissioner Ramon Mafnas said he is proposing to raise the penalty fees for traffic violations, after a meeting yesterday with lawmakers on the implementation of a new law that authorizes the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to establish a student driver education program.

Mafnas cited as an example the penalty for running a red light, which he plans to increase to $150 or more. Average penalty fee for this traffic law violation is $25.

“Running a red light is a very serious offense. It’s not about raising money, but about saving lives,” he told Saipan Tribune.

Speeding ticket, which starts at $30, could go up to a minimum of $50.

“Besides the proposed $50, for example, the violator could be charged an additional $10 per 5 miles over the speed limit,” Mafnas said.

Mafnas, who was sworn into office on June 14 a day after the Senate’s confirmation of his appointment, said the police will beef up enforcement of traffic violations.
He cited examples of traffic laws or regulations that should be enforced at all times, including parking near road intersections, parking near fire hydrants and parking in spaces reserved for people with disabilities.

Mafnas also said DPS is undergoing reorganization.

Driver education program

Mafnas met with House members and senators yesterday afternoon to clarify provisions of Public Law 17-45, which “authorizes” BMV to establish a student driver education program.

Rep. Stanley Torres (Ind-Saipan) noted the important aspects of PL 17-45, “in order to remove any confusion or concerns.”

“This law does not mandate that the BMV immediately implement a driver education program,” he said in a letter to BMV, which is under DPS.

He said the legislation just “authorizes” BMV to establish a program where it can be financially feasible and fully operational.

Torres, one of the longest-serving lawmakers in the CNMI, said the Public School System and Northern Marianas College are also “authorized” to establish a driver education school, but have yet to do so for reasons of lack of funding, among other things.

Mafnas, in his meeting with lawmakers, said DPS is willing to implement the provisions of the law, particularly the establishment of a driver education program at BMV, but they need additional time to do so.

For one, DPS also has limited personnel and funding just like other government agencies and programs.

“We need a little time to establish a driver education program,” he told lawmakers, including Senate floor leader Pete Reyes (R-Saipan), author of the bill that became PL 17-45.

Gov. Benigno R. Fitial vetoed SB 17-20 on May 13, saying BMV “is neither ready nor equipped to establish a driver’s education program at this point.”

But House and Senate members overrode the governor’s veto, saying families find it hard to come up with $350 to pay for a driver’s education program offered by a private business on Saipan.

Rep. Ray Palacios (Cov-Saipan), chairman of the House Committee on Education, which called for yesterday’s meeting in the House chamber, said the meeting with the DPS commissioner and BMV director Juana Leon Guerrero clarified misconceptions about the new law.

Torres said the new law permits all new drivers to not have to enroll or pay for a driver education program, whether commercial, certified, private or public schools, if they so desire.

He said a new amendment to the existing code has been added to create an alternative driver education program that allows anyone who has reached the age of 15 ½ to attain a learner’s permit and then learn to drive with any licensed driver who is over 21 years old and who has one year of driving experience.

After driving with a person over 21 years old and attaining the age of 16, the learner must apply and take the test for an operator’s license.

Torres also said that the new law does not change the fact that drivers issued a license in the U.S. or a foreign country can qualify for a CNMI license without attending a driver education program, as long as that U.S. or foreign license was not suspended or revoked within one year of application for a CNMI operator’s license.

PL 17-45 also increased the fees for an operator’s license to $40, and for a duplicate or substitute to $10.

The new fee for a learner’s permit is $20, and $10 for a duplicate or substitute.