Monika Leininger
Mleinin1@uwyo.edu
The Laramie City Council discussed enacting a new chapter of the municipal code that could provide traffic violation offenders with the opportunity to take a class to have the citation dismissed.
City Attorney Jason Loos said a defensive driving dismissal program was used by a local judge for several years, but it was never codified. The ordinance, which passed unanimously on first reading, would provide a judge with the authority to grant a dismissal for most minor moving violations.
“There’s been a lot of interest in revamping that,” Loos said.
The ordinance does include most minor moving violations. Drivers convicted would not be eligible if convicted of offenses including, passing a school bus, failing to stop and render aid and give information and at a following accident, speeding 25 mph in excess of the speed limit and reckless driving.
Eligible drivers would have to pay an administrative fee of $150.00 dollars to take the class. The cost for the class would cost an additional amount projected to be an additional expense of $25 to $30 and the courses would be taken online. Drivers would be able to have only one driving citation dismissed per year.
“I think it’s a great idea, not sure why we didn’t keep doing it. I think $150.00 is a good amount to pay—you have to make it hurt a little bit,” Councilor Vicki Henry said.
If dismissed a citation would not count against a resident’s driving record. Wyoming, unlike most states, does not have a point system for drivers’ licenses. However, the Wyoming Department of Transportation can suspend a license if a driver is convicted of a certain number of offenses within a limited amount of time.
Two more meetings are scheduled to discuss the issue with the second reading planned for the May 17 regular meeting.
In other news, city council adopted the new international fire code. The code gets updated every four years to reflect current policy. The new fire code changes the distance in which an individual can have fireworks outside the city limits. The old fire code requires an individual to be two miles outside city limits to use fireworks. This item has now been stricken from the fire code.
