Temple Suspended License Attorney
People need their cars to get to work and school, especially in a place like Temple where public transportation is inadequate. Unfortunately, driving when your license has been suspended is a crime in Texas. Violators face a Class C misdemeanor charge with the possibility of a $500 fine if convicted.
Although you won’t go to jail (in most cases) for driving with a suspended license, you could face other problems. It’s best to contact a Temple suspended license attorney to learn more about whether you should fight these charges.
How Licenses Get Suspended
In Texas, driving is a privilege, not a right. Many motorists have their licenses suspended for one of the following reasons:
- Multiple moving violations. If you have four in a 12-month period (or 7 or more in a 24-month period), your license will be suspended.
- Automatic suspension for certain criminal offenses. You can automatically lose your license for fleeing the police, Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), leaving the scene of an accident when someone is injured, and other offenses.
- Suspension for a serious crash. If you kill or seriously injure someone in a crash, your license can be suspended.
- Failure to keep proper insurance. If you are involved in an accident and lack insurance, the state can suspend your license.
- Family law violation. The state can suspend the license of someone who refuses to pay child support.
Penalties for Driving on a Suspended License
First, there are the criminal penalties. If this is your first offense, then you are facing Class C misdemeanor charges, with a maximum $500 fine as a penalty. However, if this is your second conviction, you can face Class B misdemeanor charges. The same is true if your license was suspended for a DWI. The penalties for a Class B conviction include a maximum 180 days in jail and a fine.
But criminal penalties are only part of the story. Someone convicted will likely end up paying much more for insurance, as well as an reinstatement fee (to get your license back) and surcharges for several years. In total, the cost of even a first-time offense could easily exceed several thousand dollars.
Misdemeanor convictions also follow a person around for the rest of their life. Whenever you apply for college, an apartment, or a job, you will have to disclose your convictions. The negative collateral consequences can last a long time.
Reach Out to a Temple Driving on a Suspended License Attorney
This is a tough offense to fight. In some cases, motorists are presumed to know their license was suspended. This is the case when the suspension is automatic, such as with a DWI arrest. But in other situations you might not have received notice of the suspension, which can be a defense.
Contact Katie Gomez today. She is a committed criminal defense attorney who has helped many people struggling with a suspended license. It is possible to keep your license and limit the criminal penalties, so schedule a time to meet to discuss.
