Driving with a suspended or revoked license or without a license completely could have serious consequences. You could face points against your license, serious fines, and more. You do not have to fight this alone. Let a defense attorney help your case.
If your license was suspended, seek help from a Greenwood Village license suspension lawyer. We can help you build a defense and get your license reinstated. Our tenacious traffic lawyers at Colorado Lawyer Team are dedicated to helping you. Justie and team will work hard to help you get a favorable outcome for your situation.
Driving Without a License
When the driver has no license issued in Colorado and drives anyway, it is called a no valid operator’s license or NVOL charge. A driver has to have a license with the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles through the Department of Revenue to operate a motor vehicle anywhere in the state. Not having a license could land them in hot water, such as a point suspension, outstanding judgment warrants for failure to pay a ticket, for driving under revocation after a driving under the influence offense (DUI), or Habitual Traffic Offender status.
Driving Under Revocation Offense
A driving under revocation offense is a more serious offense. It is on par with the penalties that they would have for a DUI and is considered a major driving offense by the DMV. They could face jail for driving under revocation. NVOL does not carry jail time, but if they have a number of no valid operator’s license offenses, they may be charged as driving under revocation. If they have had three major driving offenses for which they pled guilty, they could also end up being considered a habitual traffic offender.
A habitual traffic offender carries with it a license revocation period in which they would not have the right to drive in the state for a period of at least five years. They would not get their license back early with a red license or interlock license if they are a DUR or HTO client. A red license only applies for early reinstatement in DUI revocation. Alcohol revocation and other driving privileges are different in Colorado. 3 DUR’s all add up to HTO, which makes it very difficult to get their license back and carries with it severe penalties.
It is best to speak to a Greenwood Village license suspension lawyer to learn more about the different offenses and the potential penalties.
Possession of a Driver’s License
Drivers who are driving without physical possession of a license do not get tickets often. Colorado has a database system in which they could give their name and date of birth to the officer, and almost all the time they are able to locate them in their system. They run into problems if they do not give them their accurate name or if they give them someone else’s date of birth. That is when they could get a charge for attempting to influence a public official or false reporting. They could get in a lot of trouble for doing that. If they do not have their license with them, they could just give any officer during a traffic stop their name and date of birth.
In some instances, the cop would ask for ID or anything with their picture on it. If the person knows their driver’s license number by heart, sometimes they would accept that and sometimes they would not. An alternate form of ID in that circumstance may be good enough, but they do not give those tickets for not having it with them. Just be honest with the cops about your identity. You do not have the right to remain silent about who you are, and in most circumstances, cops can ask for your ID even if you’ve done very little wrong.
Suspended or Revoked License
Unlicensed driving with a suspended or revoked to license in Fort Collins is driving under revocation. Driving under revocation or DUR could become serious if it is a first, second, or subsequent offense. It carries with it the possibility of jail. On a first offense, they are likely to get their license back. Generally, the strategy as a Greenwood Village license suspension attorney is to find out when they are eligible to get their license back and get it renewed before they go to criminal court.
In most circumstances, the DAs are just glad they got their license back. They are not looking to re-revoke their license by pleading guilty to something new. The best course of action is to not drive if you do not have a valid license. It is recommended to take a rideshare service such as Uber and Lyft.
Common Causes of License Suspensions or Revocation in Fort Collins
The most common causes of license suspension or revocation in Fort Collins is too many points on someone’s license and failure to pay outstanding tickets in various jurisdictions. DUIs also are very common for revocation. There is a special classification of driving under revocation when the underlying revocation is due to an alcohol violation. It is called DUR-ALC when an alcohol revocation is what is causing them to lose their license, and they drive after having a DUI without a license. A DUR-ALC will result in much harsher penalties than just a regular DUR. All of these subsequent offenses would extend the period of revocation of someone’s right to drive in Colorado.
Licenses Suspension Due to DUI
Driver’s licenses suspended because of DUI charges may be reinstated with restrictions prior to the end date of the revocation. In Colorado, if it is a first time DUI and they have below a 0.18 BAC or blood alcohol content at the time that they are stopped, they are eligible to get their license reinstated early at the DMV. They have to enroll in either level I or level II alcohol education, provide proof that they are in treatment, pay a reinstatement fee, get an interlock device installed, and get an SR-22.
An SR-22 is a special insurance document that says their car insurance company would report to the DMV if they are in an accident or if they drop the insurance. If they drop insurance or change insurance during the early reinstatement, the DMV may suspend their license again, because they require them to have a higher level of insurance. An SR-22 is not cheap, but it is necessary.
The interlock is a device that sits on the ignition in their car. They have to blow into it, and the car has to register that they are blowing triple zeros with no alcohol on their breath before it allows them to start the ignition on their vehicle. Interlock devices do not come cheap. They have to pay a monthly rental fee and have it serviced on a regular basis to make sure that they are complying with all the interlock requirements. Driving without an interlock when they are under revocation or alcohol is a separate offense, and could mess everything up again revoking licenses for much longer.
Failure to Pay a Fine
A license could be suspended from failure to pay a fine. Any time somebody has a significant ticket, they get an outstanding judgment warrant from the various jurisdictions in which they have tickets. It is unusual for one person to have them all in one county. Usually, OJWs are spread throughout the state. The big thing is to pay OJWs, so they get their license back. When they pay their OJW, they should get a receipt so that they could report that to the DMV and show proof of payment. As soon as they show proof of payment on their OJW, the DMV is going to let them get their license back if there are not other things revoking the license.
Reach Out to a Greenwood Village License Suspension Attorney Today
If you have been accused of driving with a suspended or revoked license, you should speak to a defense attorney immediately. They could review the facts of your case and help you choose the best course of action.
Justie and team are here for you. We are ready to take on your case. Call a Greenwood Village license suspension lawyer at Colorado Lawyer Team to schedule a free 30-minute consultation.