Daytona Beach program gives motorists vouchers to fix busted lights, not citations
DAYTONA BEACH - In the spirit of giving this holiday season the Daytona Beach Police Department on Thursday started a program that will help motorists pay to repair blown tail lights, headlights, brake lights and turn signals instead of giving them tickets.
The department will be able to carry out the program with a $7,000 grant from Lights On, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that helps improve relationships between the police and the communities they serve, said the group's vice president Sherman Patterson.
Three Daytona Beach auto repair shops - Teresa's Garage, Gary Yeomans Ford and John Hall Chevrolet - are partnering with the Daytona Beach Police Department to carry out the program.
Young said he was excited that the program to help motorists has come to Daytona Beach.
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"We know the holiday season is centered around giving, so I couldn't think of a better time to roll out this program, this Lights On program," Young said in a press conference Thursday.
To keep roads safe vehicle owners are legally required to have headlights, tail lights, brake lights and turn signals that are functioning properly. But for some members of the community the cost associated with repairs of lights that are not working creates a financial burden, Young said.
So, after Thursday, when an officer pulls over a motorist for a non-functioning light, once police determine that the driver has a valid license and no arrest warrants, the officer will issue a Lights On voucher instead of a traffic citation, the chief said.
"(This program) turns a traffic stop, which is normally a stressful situation, into a positive experience," Young said.
A motorist will have 14 days to make use of the voucher. If the motorist is stopped a second time and still has not repaired the lights, then a ticket will be issued, Young said.
The voucher can be redeemed at any of the three participating auto shops and will not cost taxpayers anything, Young said.
Patterson said the Lights On Program started in 2017 after the shooting death of Philando Castile, 32, by a police officer after he was stopped for having a broken headlight in a St. Paul, Minnesota suburb.
The shooting of Castile, who was Black, by police officer Jeronimo Yanez was streamed on Facebook and went viral, sparking protests across the nation. Yanez was charged in Castile's death and found not guilty.
Since the start of the program in 2017 more than 11,000 vouchers have been redeemed. The Lights On program is now in more than 160 police departments nationwide. The program started in Minnesota with 21 departments and nine auto shops.
Today, the Lights On program has more than 389 auto shops participating nationwide, Patterson said.
After the shooting of Castile, the former CEO of Lights On came up with the concept to help heal police-community relations, Patterson said.
"We are here to help continue to build positive police and motorist interaction, to address a public safety issue," Patterson said.
The program also helps people from a socio-economic standpoint, Patterson said.
"When the blue light comes on, the anxiety goes up on the officers' part and the motorists' part," Patterson said.
That anxiety is reduced when the officer offers a voucher that will pay up to $250 for repairs, Patterson said.
"The anxiety goes down, the conversation starts where they are talking with each other instead of at each other," he said. "That's what it's all about. It's something simple, the humanity is there."
The operators of auto shops participating in the program said the move by Daytona Beach police is a positive and helpful one.
Jeromie Allan, general manager and partner at Gary Yeomans, said the Lights On initiative is "super," especially around the holidays.
"I think it's perfect timing," he said.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida drivers in Daytona Beach will get vouchers to repair lights
