Protect Your Driver’s License

Posted Friday, August 18, 2017 by Andrew Charles Huff

Part of my job as a defense attorney is to protect my client’s driver’s license and avoid any sort of suspension the Department of Licensing seeks to impose after a DUI arrest or conviction. There are different ways a license can be suspended : They are 1) administratively, due to a refusal to submit to the test or because the reading exceeded the legal limit, or 2) as part of the criminal penalty due to a conviction of a DUI, which is mandatory.

Once your license suspension period is over, you are still not legal to drive unless you “reinstate” your license. You see, the DOL does not automatically give you your license back after you have served a suspension. There are reinstatement requirements that depend on the type and length of license suspension. So once your suspension period is over, you will need to reinstate the license in order to drive legally. In some cases, simply paying the reinstatement fee is required. In other cases, you might need to obtain an SR-22 insurance policy, an alcohol evaluation and follow-up treatment. In still other cases, you’ll need to take the written and driving exams in addition to other requirements before the license is reinstated. The forms sent by DOL on license suspension are not very helpful when it comes to the requirements for license reinstatement, but the DOL webpage is helpful.

If your license is currently suspended and you wish to have it re-instated, please give me a call at 206-729-3477 and let me help you get reinstated to drive.