Bill Would Let BMV Suspend Licenses for Repeat Traffic Violations and Raise Fine to $200

Drivers who repeatedly violate traffic laws could soon face a more direct administrative process for license suspensions and higher penalties under a bill advanced Thursday by the Committee on Homeland Security, Justice and Public Safety. Bill No. 36-0224, sponsored by Senator Avery Lewis, seeks to amend Title 20, Chapter 51, Subchapter I, Section 801 of the Virgin Islands Code, which governs the territory’s moving violations point system. Mr. Lewis said the U.S. Virgin Islands already has a point system in place, but his measure would make it “more efficient, fairer, and more focused on public safety.” One of the bill’s major changes would shift authority to suspend licenses after excessive points are accumulated from the Superior Court to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Mr. Lewis said the change would not remove due process protections. “every driver is entitled to a hearing, and any decision by the BMV remains reviewable by the Superior Court,” he said. According to Mr. Lewis, mov...