Review Shows Massachusetts License Suspensions Lagging

A state review says bureaucratic problems allowed nearly 1,000 Massachusetts drivers to keep their licenses despite being convicted of vehicular homicide or driving under the influence over the past five years.

The review of court documents and driving records found the Registry of Motor Vehicles was missing records for 988 of those convictions from 2003 to 2008, so the suspensions were not imposed for years.

The review says 962 convictions were for driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol, offenses that are supposed to prompt suspensions from 45 days to life. Another 26 were for vehicular homicide, which carries a 15-year suspension.

Registry officials say the agency has corrected the problems, which they attributed to miscommunication in transferring information between courts and the registry.

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Information from: The Boston Globe