Life on Hold: A Webinar Series on Debt-Based Driver’s License Suspensions
Life on Hold is a three-part webinar series exploring how debt-based driver’s license suspensions impact people, families, and communities across North Carolina — and what meaningful reform can look like.
Driver’s license suspensions for failure to pay court fines and fees or failure to appear in court can create long-lasting barriers to employment, housing, health care, and financial stability. This series brings together directly impacted voices, advocates, and policy experts to examine the real-world consequences of these policies and highlight solutions gaining momentum across the country.
Part 1: Voices from the Ground — How License Suspensions Disrupt Daily Life
Thursday, February 19th, 12pm
Hear directly from people who have experienced license suspensions and learn how losing the ability to drive affects work, family responsibilities, health care access, and daily survival.
Part 2: Why People Miss Court — Understanding Failures to Appear
Thursday, March 19th, 12pm
This session takes a closer look at failures to appear (FTAs) — why people miss court dates and what happens when they do. Panelists explore the common barriers that prevent people from appearing in court and discuss how current penalties, including additional fines and driver’s license suspensions, can often worsen instability rather than improve court compliance.
Part 3: From Punishment to Prevention — What Other States Are Doing Differently
Thursday, April 23rd, 12pm
Hear from advocates and leaders in states that have successfully ended the practice of suspending driver’s licenses for failure to pay. Panelists will share outcomes from those reforms and discuss practical alternatives — including reminder systems, flexible scheduling, and other approaches that support court compliance without creating additional barriers.
Co-sponsored by the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law, NC Alliance for Safe Transportation, Independent Insurers of NC, Operation Gateway, Inc., Advocate Collaborate Educate (ACE), Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) of Rocky Mount, NC Justice Center, Forward Justice, and the Duke Center for Community-Engaged Scholarship.