North Haven, Connecticut, Driver's License Suspension Lawyer
If you are arrested for drunk driving in Connecticut, your driver's license could be suspended as a result of your criminal court case, a civil action by the Department of Motor Vehicles or both. To protect your ability to drive, you should contact a lawyer to represent you in both your criminal and civil cases.
I am Christopher Duby, a DWI/DUI defense lawyer in North Haven. One of the most important issues to my clients is the potential loss of their driver's license. Connecticut is not known for its public transportation, and it is hard to imagine our lives without the ability to drive. How do you get to work? Or pick up the kids? Can you still go on a trip or pickup someone at the airport? Yet, that is the prospect faced by everyone who is arrested for DWI/DUI in Connecticut.
Criminal court driver's license suspension
If you are convicted of DWI/DUI in Connecticut, you could face the following period of suspensions:
Number of DWI/DUI Offenses |
Length of License Suspension If You Are Convicted of DWI/DUI |
|
First Offense. |
One year. |
|
Second Offense. |
Two years. |
|
Third Offense. |
Permanent driver's license revocation. |
You also face a possible suspension of your driver's license while your criminal case is in process.
Note: there is a difference between an arrest and a conviction. Lawyers say that a conviction is "an adjudication of guilt." What that means is that you admit that you are guilty or a judge or jury finds you guilty of breaking the law. As the headlines from time to time show, merely being arrested is not the same thing as being guilty. In the long run, it is the conviction that counts against you, not the arrest.
You mush know that if you drive after your license has been suspended for an alcohol-related offense, you could be sentenced to up to one year in jail and you will serve at least 30 days. However, I can help you apply for a work permit to drive to and from your job or school.
Restoration of your driver's license after a suspension
Near the end of your driver's license suspension hearing, you can send to the Department of Motor Vehicles a $125 fee and a form to have your driver's license restored. However, in applying for the restoration of your driver's license, you might tip off your insurance company who may increase your insurance rates. Insurance companies can find out about DWI/DUI driver's license suspensions in a variety of ways, but the most common way is when you apply for the restoration of your driver's license.
Depending on your age and your prior driving record, your car insurance rates may increase from $3,000 a year to more than twice that amount. Perhaps worse, increased rates may prevent you from being able to afford as much insurance as you would otherwise need. This may leave your personal assets out in the open.
Appealing Your License Suspension
Just because the DMV suspends your license does not terminate all of your rights. You can, if you elect, appeal the DMV's ruling to the courts. These appeals are complex and involve detailed areas of the law. The courts can restore your license if the DMV gets it wrong.
Free attorney consultation
To discuss your DWI/DUI driver's license suspension case with North Haven lawyer Christopher Duby, call 866-421-9165 24 hours a day or complete our simple contact form.
