Driver's Licenses Returned to Thousands of Indianans

State had unlawfully suspended licenses of people who weren't required to have insurance

Indianapolis -Thousands of Hoosiers whose driver's licenses are currently suspended had their licenses reinstated today when the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles agreed—in ongoing litigation by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana and private counsel Scott DeVries—to stop demanding proof of auto insurance from people who weren't required to have it.

The "Previously Uninsured Motorist Registry" unlawfully suspended the driver's licenses of people who had not violated any laws. The state legislature in 2010 established the registry, but the BMV did not issue rules to enforce it. Nevertheless, the BMV began that year to randomly select individuals for suspension of their driver's licenses.