License suspension is a common penalty if for those caught of driving under the influence (DUI).
DUI and Associated Penalties Include Your License
In California, those penalties include a suspension of your driver’s license, fines, jail time, and mandatory drug or alcohol rehabilitation classes. While these legal penalties can seem like a lot, they often lead to other problems, as well. These indirect punishments often make the DUI penalties seem trivial.
For a first DUI conviction offense in California, you face a six-month license suspension. A suspension in a driving-intense part of the country as California is challenging. Additionally, this penalty potentially leads to ancillary problems.
If you need to drive to work, like nearly everyone in the state, license suspension can cost you your job. Even if you don’t lose your job, a six-month period of no car, is a major hassle. Getting to and from work, relying on public transportation, or on friends and family to get you where you need. This causes stress and creates tension in the personal relationships that matter the most to you.
Prevent a Loss of License
In California, for your first DUI conviction, it’s possible to regain driving privileges. First, you serve out 30 days of the suspension and then you may apply for a restricted license. This restricted license allows you to drive to, from, and during work. You may also drive to and from any rehabilitation classes as part of a legal requirement as part of your DUI conviction. While this doesn’t mean that you have complete driving privileges, it does take much of the strain off of not being able to drive after a DUI conviction.
To get a restricted driver’s license even with a license suspension:
- Enroll in a rehabilitation program,
- Serve 30 days of your license suspension, and
- File an SR-22 form, showing that you have insurance.
- Next, go to a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office and pick up a restricted license after paying the $125 DMV reissue fee.
There are cases in which courts require the installation of an Ignition Interlock Device (IID) in your car. Once the IID is in place, and all other requirements as well, the court grants a restricted license. This device is, essentially, an on-board breathalyzer that requires a breath sample in order to start your car.
Exceptions to the Rule
Unfortunately, getting a restricted license is not an option if you refused to take a breathalyzer when you were arrested for DUI. Additionally, failure to complete your rehabilitation classes will result in your restricted license being revoked.
While the restricted license does limit where and when you can drive, it also allows you to get to and from work, which can be the difference between keeping and losing your job. Don’t let a DUI conviction ruin your life.
Call 1.800.NO.CUFFS for a free consultation with a criminal defense attorney. Call us 24/7. We don’t sleep – so you can.
