Suffolk Drivers With Minor Equipment Violations May Get Vouchers, Not Tickets

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Suffolk County drivers whose cars have minor equipment violations may get a voucher to replace the faulty part instead of a traffic ticket.

Autobody shops will be called on to participate in the Lights On! Initiative, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison announced Thursday.

As part of the Lights On! Initiative, Suffolk police will now have the ability to provide drivers with vouchers to pay for broken head and tail lights, brake lights, and turn signals instead of issuing a ticket for these minor violations. Suffolk County joins dozens of police departments already partnering with Lights On! with the goal of making roads and communities safer.

Using grant funding and a donation from local philanthropist Steve Castleton, Lights On! will match the county’s initial investment of $35,000, for a total of $70,000.

Bellone called it a "win-win scenario," adding that equipment violations are a "legitimate issue."

Officers will have the ability to provide a driver with a voucher to get their faulty equipment replaced for free up to $250. Drivers will have 14 days to use the voucher to fix the defective equipment, and Lights On! will reimburse the autobody shop.

"This will no doubt ease the burden for Suffolk County residents, motorists, and help keep our drivers safe while they are out on the roads," Bellone said.

Before the initiative, drivers with broken equipment would have 24 hours to fix it, and if they failed to, they would be introduced to the court system and fined.

The program is part of the county’s “Safety First Campaign,” a first-of-its-kind initiative on Long Island that aims to promote road and driver safety as well as foster community trust, while working to avoid placement of additional economic burden on those who are financially disadvantaged.

Harrison called the initiative a "special moment."

"In order for us to be successful, we need community buy-in. It starts with a reform plan, it starts with accountability, it starts with transparency, and last but not least, it starts with equitable policing."

Suffolk police have de-emphasized minor equipment violations by no longer including parking summonses and equipment violation totals in the Police Officer Monthly Activity Report, as outlined in the county's Police Reform Plan.