Michigan Sec. Of State Lifts 150,000 License Suspensions

It sounded like a big important announcement that Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson made, saying the office was lifting 150,000 license suspensions. But if you look a little closer, you wonder what it is that they're doing and how much real impact there is.

The original announcement said the department "has lifted suspensions on the driver’s licenses of more than 150,000 Michiganders after ongoing implementation of laws that took effect last month identified additional infractions to cancel. The department lifted the suspensions of 12,000 Michiganders in October. Michigan residents who are now eligible for a driver’s license may still need to pay a reinstatement fee or renew or reapply for a license, depending on how long the license was suspended."

Here's the part that's confusing: "In all, the Michigan Department of State has canceled infractions on the driving records of more than 350,000 Michiganders; however, many had additional infractions that were not impacted by the change in the law, and therefore their licenses remain suspended."

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So how many drivers are actually eligible to get their licenses back? The wording says "however, many had additional infractions that were not impacted." Either way, you should be getting a letter if you're one of the drivers affected.

(Michigan Department of Corrections via YouTube)

It sure sounds the like Secretary of State's office is patting itself on the back, but not really doing that much. They say people need to drive to get to work, get to the store, or get to the doctors, but at the same time, it's not like all people with suspended licenses are all of the sudden getting their driving privileges back. If experts and lawmakers are convinced that restoring some licenses is safe and a good idea, then great. The next question has to be, are the roads safer, or not.