A license suspension is issued when a judge or the DMV tells a person they are no longer allowed to drive in Virginia. This happens in open court as a result of a conviction or a traffic charge or outside of court, if the DMV suspends a person for rapid point accumulation. The most common cause of license suspensions in Alexandria is based upon convictions in court and suspension by the judge for either a conviction of DWI, reckless driving, or driving while suspended.
An experienced Alexandria license suspension lawyer can help a person protect their driving privileges by petitioning either the court or the DMV for restricted driving privileges that would enable a person to drive to and from work, school, or anywhere else required to make their life work. To discuss your driving privileges or get started on building a defense, consult with a traffic defense attorney today.
Failure to pay fines and costs associated with a traffic infraction or a traffic misdemeanor can result in the court that convicted the person of the infraction, suspending that person’s privilege to drive in Alexandria. It can happen if a person was unaware that their court date had passed or they attempted to have their case continued, but some procedural element prevented that from happening and they were tried in their absence. This suspension can be challenged on a number of different ways, with the help of a license suspension attorney in Alexandria .
There are certain things a person can do to try to re-open the case, but the best thing for a person to do if their license is suspended for failure to pay fines and costs is to pay them and have their license reinstated by the DMV.
If the fines and costs are too much for a person to pay all at once, there are many circumstances under which a person can enter into a payment plan with the court that suspended their license. Once they enter into that payment plan, they will release the hold on their license. The suspended driver can then present proof of the payment arrangement to the DMV to continue the license reinstatement process. If approved, a person can remain licensed so long as a person maintains participation with the payment plan.
If a person is convicted of a DUI, their license will always be suspended. How long the license suspension will last will depend on the particular case. If a person is convicted of a first-offense DWI, their license will be suspended for a period of one year. If a person is convicted of a second-offense DWI, their license will be suspended for three years. If a person is convicted of a third or subsequent offense DWI, their license will be suspended indefinitely and they cannot petition the court to get it back for a period of time, typically ten years.
If a person is convicted of a DWI, they cannot challenge that suspension. They can appeal the conviction and try to have the conviction overturned, but if a person is convicted of a DWI and that conviction stands, a person cannot challenge it.
If someone is suspended after being initially charged with a DUI, they may face an administrative license suspension. If they are facing an administrative license suspension, which comes in 7 days, 60 days, and “until trial” increments, they may challenge that suspension in the general district court.
Whether or not a person has the standing or ability to challenge a license suspension depends on the reasons why the license was suspended in the first place. If a person’s license was suspended, the person should to go to the DMV and get a copy of their driving transcript, which is their driving record, as well as a copy of a compliance summary. With those two documents, an Alexandria license suspension lawyer can tell that person what it takes to get their license back.
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