The Consequences Of A DUI With A Suspended License

If you have been charged with a DUI, one of the consequences you might face is that your license might be suspended. Under these circumstances, you may feel that you need to still drive even if you have a suspended license. This is a terrible idea, especially if you choose to drink and drive with a suspended license.

The Penalties for a DUI With a Suspended License

Driving with a suspended license and driving under the influence are two separate crimes. However, it is common to commit them at the same time. Not only might you face the penalties from breaking both of these crimes, but you may also face the penalties of violating your parole. Also, the judge may be much less lenient with you when you're driving with a suspended license.

If you drive with a suspended license, you may spend up to six months in jail and several years of probation. However, you may face more severe penalties if the suspension was due to a DUI. You may also be required to install an ignition interlock device. You will also face more severe penalties if you are a repeat offender that can include up to a year in prison. 

When you have been charged with a DUI, the judge is able to choose how severe your penalties will be. A judge will typically not look favorably upon someone who is a repeat DUI offender and is also driving on a suspended license so you will be likely to face the maximum penalties. For these reasons, it's essential that you work with a drunk driving attorney. Fortunately, there are some possible defenses.

Common Defenses After You Have Been Driving

To be charged with driving on a suspended license, the courts will need to prove that you were informed that the license was suspended. However, even if you have your charges dropped for driving with a suspended license, your DUI is a much more serious charge. Therefore, you'll want to work with a drunk driving attorney.

To have your DUI charges dropped, you'll want to call into question whether you were actually drunk. For example, you may argue that the sobriety test was not carried out in the proper way. For example, if you had a blood test performed, the blood sample might not have been stored properly, and this could lead to a false positive. However, you'll need an attorney and an expert witness to help you with this.

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