In Virginia, your driver's license can be suspended or revoked for a number of reasons, the most common among them: failing to pay court fines and court costs, failing to pay child support, a conviction for a drug offense (i.e. possession of marijuana) and a conviction for reckless driving or driving under the influence ("DUI"). The problem with suspending or revoking a person's driver's license is most people need to drive to get to work; if they can't get to work, they can't pay their court fines or court costs (or their other monthly bills for that matter). So what happens? People decide to risk it and drive. If they get pulled over before they get their license reinstated, they will likely get charged with driving on a suspended license. The punishment for driving on a suspended license is the root of the vicious cycle.
Driving on a suspended license is a Class 1 Misdemeanor offense.
- See Virginia Code Section 46.2-301.
- A third or subsequent conviction requires at least 10 days in jail, and many Central Virginia Judges will order active jail time on a second offense.
- A conviction also yields court fines and court costs, and a license suspension period (typically 90 days) that a Judge is required to impose for each conviction that tacks on to the end of all previous suspensions.
As you can see, the more convictions one receives the more difficult it becomes to crawl out of the hole - mounting court fines and license suspensions leave many folks without an easy path to get their license reinstated. On top of that, sizable jail sentences can cause people to lose their jobs which creates further financial turmoil. The bottom line is that a driving on suspended charge is something that should be taken very seriously. A good criminal defense attorney can be a vital asset and can assist you throughout the process in order to help you achieve a positive outcome. The Virginia criminal defense attorneys at BoykoNapier are experienced in all manner of traffic and criminal offenses. If you have a question regarding your driving on a suspended case, call the lawyers at BoykoNapier at (804) 658-3418, or contact them via email.
