Baltimore Driving on a Suspended License Lawyer
Although a conviction for a DUI or DWI is often the reason a license and driving privilege is suspended, this can also occur after multiple tickets that result in a point accumulation. However, what many don’t realize is that the potential penalties you face for a charge of driving on a suspended license/privilege can often be harsher than the underlying cause of the suspension, even if it was a DUI or DWI that took your license away.
As driving on a suspended license/privilege is a serious offense that carries potential incarceration and jail time, you must move quickly with help from a trustworthy criminal lawyer in order to respond properly to these charges.
There are often valid defense to driving on a suspended license/privilege and an experienced Baltimore driving on a suspended license attorney that is familiar with what prosecutors must establish to support a charge is critical and essential. Contact our traffic attorneys in Baltimore right away to schedule a free consultation.
Maryland Revocation of Your Drivers’ License
Regardless of whether you lost your license and were suspended for drunk driving or for other traffic offenses, driving on a suspended license/privilege is a misdemeanor crime. On a first offense, the punishment is up to one year in jail. A second charge carries up to two years, and a third conviction could result in up to three years in jail. This is because prosecutors can seek enhanced penalties for subsequent offenders.
Further, if your driver’s license suspension was a condition of a probation term for another criminal offense, driving while it is suspended constitutes a probation violation.
Administrative Penalties
A suspended driver’s license is temporary solely because there is an option to reinstate it. Typically, if you fail to pay a traffic ticket, your licenses would be suspended. Revocation of a driver’s license is permanent; it usually occurs only after there have been multiple citations for driving with a suspended license and/or there are medical conditions that make it permanently unsafe for you to drive.
When a driver’s license has been revoked in Maryland, the only option for obtaining a driver’s license is to go through the State’s application process, at which point a new license may be issued at the State’s discretion.
In addition to any criminal penalties that exist, driving with a suspended license also has administrative penalties. The required length of time to reinstate your driver’s license, after an offense, varies based on the actual offense, but can be as long as two years. Further, there are fees associated with reinstating the license. It is likely that your insurance rate would increase following the suspension.
Traffic Offenses
Aside from charges of driving on a suspended license / privilege, you are entitled to an experienced Baltimore driving on a suspended license attorney for a major traffic offense such as:
- Hit and run (leaving the scene of an accident)
- Reckless driving (or drag racing)
- Automobile manslaughter
- Other serious traffic offenses
As with driving on a suspended license / privilege, these offenses can result in jail sentences, a criminal record, fines and a revoked driver’s license or points against your Maryland license.
Refer to a Baltimore Driving on a Suspended License Attorney for Help
If you are facing criminal charges for driving with a suspended license in Baltimore, contact an attorney today who is skilled in defending driving on suspended licenses cases.