Minnesotans who skip their road test appointment when attempting to earn their driver’s license will now be fined $20 for each road test they skip, according to a new law that went into place on November 1.
The new law was put into place in response to a growing number of “no shows” at the DMV. Officials said these no shows were taking valuable time away from staff and people at the DMV waiting for appointments.
You’re probably wondering how many people fail to show up for their driver’s test, and the answer will probably shock you. We know it surprised us!
No Show Fines
According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Driver and Vehicle Services division, more than one in seven people failed to show up for their driver’s test in the last three months that the information was tracked. Officials say an average of 15.5 percent of people failed to show up for their road test between July and September of this year, squandering more than 6,000 testing opportunities.
Here’s a closer look at the no show data for Class D and CDL skills tests in Minnesota over the last three months:
July: Appointments: 12,249 No-shows: 1,919
Aug: Appointments: 15,034 No-shows: 2,196
Sept: Appointments: 11,402 No-shows: 1,879
Those looking to schedule their driver’s test will be notified of the potential fine during scheduling, and again in a reminder email three days prior to their test. If you need to cancel your test, you can do so without having to pay the fine, so long as you cancel the appointment at least 24 hours in advance. Any fines levied against an applicant would be paid when the person passes their test and applies for their driver’s license. Emergency cancellations will be heard, and it’s not yet clear what types of emergencies would get a person out of the fine, but it seems it would be easier to just attend your appointment or cancel with at least a day’s notice.
We won’t be able to help you contest this fine, but if you’re arrested or facing more serious legal trouble, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the team at Appelman Law Firm today at (952) 224-2277.
