Okay, so today's blog will deal with the North Carolina charge of Driving While License Revoked. Though this may seem a bit out of bounds for a Driving While Intoxicated blog, it's not as far off the mark as you may believe. Let me explain.
A North Carolina DWI Conviction carries with it a one-year suspension of your Driver's License. If, during that period of suspension, the Defendant is caught driving on a North Carolina street or highway without having a limited driving privilege, they will be charged with Driving While License Revoked.
So, what is it about this charge that makes it so serious that it warrants it's own blog topic? Well, there are several reasons why this charge is important.
First, though a Driving While Intoxicated conviction is one way to have your license suspended, there are other ways. First, if a driver receives 12 or more points on their license in a three-year period, their license will be suspended for a year. Additionally, should a Defendant not appear in court, or not pay their fines, they risk having their license suspended after a year. This particular situation can be tricky because, though someone may have simply forgotten about their court date or fines, their suspension will go through with very little notice to them. In fact, aside from a letter that is sent 20 days after the missed court date or missed payment date, there is no other notice. Therefore, a Driver can be driving around under the assumption that the License in their possession is valid, only to find that it has been revoked. In these cases, the 'notice' of revocation always comes about when the Driver receives another ticket, like a registration, seatbelt, speeding, or headlight ticket, and the Officer will also cite them for Driving While License Revoked.
Secondly, this charge carries with it 8 points towards your insurance. Under North Carolina's Safe Driver Incentive Plan, 8 points will result in an increase to your automotive insurance premium by 220% for the next three years. As an example, if you are presently paying $300 a year for your car insurance, you will be paying $660 a year for the next three years.
Finally, and most importantly, this charge is serious because a conviction of Driving While License Revoked will result in a one-year suspension of driving privileges. Since most people cannot go without driving a car, many chose to drive anyways. If they are caught driving during the one-year suspension period, it will result in an additional Driving While License Revoked charge. That carries with it a two-year suspension. A third or more charge will result in a permanent suspension (though you can petition the court for limited driving privilege after two years.
A Driving While License Revoked charge is extremely serious and not one to take on by yourself lightly. It would be in your best interest to speak with a Raleigh Traffic Attorney or Durham Traffic Attorney about your particular case. There may be an opportunity to avoid a license suspension from the Driving While License Revoked through some plea in District Court.
Disclaimer - Information and advice offered in this article is for informational and educational purposes only and is specific to North Carolina law. The viewing, receipt and/or exchange of information from this article does not constitute an Attorney-Client Relationship. For assistance regarding your particular legal question speak with an Attorney practicing in the field from which your questions derives.
