KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knox County court leaders will hold a driver's license reinstatement fair June 15 to help reduce the swell of people who legally lack the ability to drive.
The fair will be 9 a.m.-noon June 15 at the City County Building downtown. That's a Saturday. In order to take part, you must register ahead of time.
Thousands of people in Knox County, perhaps as many as 70,000, have a revoked or suspended license. Many still are driving, which is against the law, regardless of necessity.
Knox County Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond's office is focusing this year on trying to reinstate licenses where possible, including in cases where the license holder needs to pay the court system money.
Knox County has one of the highest rates in the state of people without a valid DL, Hammond has said. The goal is to help people remove any barriers preventing them from reinstating their license.
At the June 15 fair, those who pre-register will be able to have lingering unpaid court costs reviewed. Those who qualify for a license also will be able to take eye exams, a written driver's test and a road test, according to Hammond.
The state Department of Safety and Homeland Security is taking part in the June reinstatement fair.
This is the second such fair this year.
Municipal Judge Tyler Caviness said in a news release the goal is, with multiple agencies in the same room, to help as many people as possible get a valid license. More efforts are expected in the future.
