Owners of Abandoned Autos Targets of Legislation

People who abandon vehicles by the roadside and let somebody else get rid of them for them are the targets of a proposed law for the Legislature to consider next year. State Senator Luann Ridgeway of Smithville wants to force those vehicle owners to pay for the removal and stoarge of the vehicles and take them back. Her proposal says the owners will lose their drivers licenses if they don’t pay those costs. The owners could protest the action. She says junker vehicles left on the roadside are a traffic hazard and sometimes are a hazardous waste problem.