Whether your license is suspended for a reason you do not think is your fault or whether it’s suspended for something you did and think you deserve, driving with one that isn’t valid can result in a myriad of consequences such as community service, fines, and in some cases, jail time.
To avoid these consequences, make sure you’re informed about what a suspended license is, what it means for you, and how to get out of it.
What Could Cause a Revoked License?
Failure to report to court over a traffic violation. Any traffic violation you run into you need to handle. This includes when you’ve gone to court to handle the ticket that you actually pay it; failure in paying your ticket or showing up to court in the first place will always result in a suspension of your license.
Refusal to take a breathalyzer test. If you refuse to get out of your car to be tested for sobriety, or if you refuse to take the breathalyzer test once you’re out of the car, your license is often revoked.
Failure to report a car accident. Some accidents don’t need to be reported, but if the damage done results in over $1,500 or serious injury, you have exactly three days to report it to your insurance company. If you don’t, you can get your license suspended until you do report it, and in cases where you take more than three weeks to report an accident, you can get your license suspended even longer.
What Does a Suspended License Mean for Me?
Having a suspended license isn’t the end of the world, but it does mean you aren’t supposed to be driving at all because of something you did for a certain amount of time. If you are caught “DWS” – or driving while suspended – you can get jail time and monstrous fees too. There are also more long term affects, such as higher insurance premiums, and your car can also be impounded (which costs several hundred dollars minimum to get back).
What Do I Do?
The best way to avoid the entire situation is to simply not drive in the first place in any way that would cause your license to be revoked, and make sure you show up to all legal proceedings that have to do with driving in any manner. Most of all, be respectful, and oftentimes you can gain benefits others won’t have access to.
Author Bio: Elizabeth Roque is an in-house writer for Franklin Debt Relief. She presents information about debt relief programs, credit card debt relief and getting out of debt on a variety of financial sites online.
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