Massachusetts Registry News

The Massachusetts Appeals Court recently affirmed that the Mass. Board of Appeal has considerable power and discretion when deciding whether or not to grant a hardship license. The Mass. Appeals Court recently upheld the Board’s decision to deny hardship relief to a candidate who had a substantial driving record and made the mistake of representing […]

Pursuant to G.L. c. 90 § 34J, automobile insurance is mandatory in Massachusetts and it is illegal to drive an uninsured motor vehicle or allow an uninsured motor vehicle to remain on a public or even private way. The goal of the Massachusetts compulsory insurance law is to ensure that drivers and passengers involved in

In the case of Ronsethal v. Registry of Motor Vehicles and RMV Board of Appeal, the Superior Court upheld the Ignition Interlock Device requirements of Melanie’s Law. The facts of the case are as follows: Mark Rosenthal was arrested twice for operating a motor vehicle under the influence (OUI). His first offense occurred on April

The Mass. RMV imposes an automatic and mandatory license suspensions for Massachusetts Junior Operators who have been found responsible for speeding. A first offense will result in a 90 day loss of license and a second offense will result in a mandatory one year loss of license. Also, junior operators who are caught speeding will

I just read a rather interesting article on the subject of Massachusetts traffic citations. It was written by Joe McKinney, a former police officer and police academy instructor. In “More than Just a Ticket,” McKinney discusses an interesting statistical study done on Massachusetts traffic tickets. The study showed that local Massachusetts police officers were 24 percent

The Boston Globe recently reported on proposed legislation which would require the Mass. RMV to administer mandatory vision screenings for drivers over 75 years old, who are attempting to renew their Massachusetts driver’s licenses. The bill would also provide immunity to physicians who report patients to may be unsafe to drive and it would prohibit

Late Traffic Citation Hearings The Legal authority that gives the RMV the right to grant a customer a late hearing, before being suspended, on a civil traffic citation is G.L. c. 90C § (A)(4) which states in pertinent part, “[a] violator who does not, within twenty days of the date of the citation, request a

Civil violations, such as not obeying traffic signals or speeding, are considered non-criminal and can usually be settled by paying fines. If you receive a citation from a law enforcement officer for a civil motor vehicle infraction (CMVI), you must pay the required fine or request a court hearing to dispute the citation within 20