In new year, $250 in unpaid turnpike tolls could mean loss of vehicle registration

If you have outstanding an outstanding balance with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, now is the time to pay up.

On Monday, a new state law will go into effect that suspends the registrations of Pennsylvania vehicle owners who owe $250 or more in turnpike tolls.

The law bolsters a previous suspension threshold of $500.

“The fact is that uncollected tolls are largely due to drivers dodging their responsibilities,” PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton said in a news release. “This legislation will allow us to better hold accountable those who intentionally cheat the system.”

Gov. Tom Wolf signed the legislation into law in October after it received support from the state House and Senate.

The turnpike estimates that 25,000 additional vehicle registrations could qualify for suspension under the new law. Turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo said most people won’t find out they are in danger of suspension until March.

Turnpike travelers with outstanding payments receive numerous invoices in the mail. If all of these letters are ignored, the turnpike eventually alerts PennDOT, which alerts the driver that their registration is suspended, DeFebo said.

Those convicted for driving with a suspended registration could face a three-month driver’s license suspension and fines of up to $500.

The turnpike began working with PennDOT to suspend registrations of those who owed a fixed amount in 2016.

Since then, the turnpike has collected over $11.4 million associated with 23,095 suspended registrations, as of September.

“We need to pursue nonpaying drivers before their toll obligation exceeds the $500 mark and potentially hampers their ability to pay up,” Compton said. “Five-plus years of experience has shown that it is better to act sooner to maximize chances of collecting from those who think it is OK to ride free.”