Driving On Suspended License GA: High Risk, Jail Time & Fine

Atlanta DUI Lawyer Bubba Head

You have a Georgia suspended driver’s license because the Georgia Legislature enacted a Georgia implied consent law long before you were born. These implied consent laws are targeted to ADMINISTRATIVELY suspend your Georgia driver’s license, or for out-of-state licensees, your ability to drive in the state of Georgia.

Your license is suspended due to you either having a DUI refusal or due to taking the test and being over the applicable legal alcohol limit. The lack of a Georgia driver’s license limits your options for being able to continue driving.

Plus, driving without a license in GA is very serious, so do not risk the new arrest and jail time. Finding lawyers near me with qualified law professionals whose legal services are in high demand is your goal.

Is My License Suspended GA? How to Check Driver’s License Status GA

A person can check his or her Georgia driver’s license status, so long as you know your Georgia driver’s license number. Call the automated DDS GA license status number at 404-657-9300 and follow the prompts to see what the automated computer for the state of Georgia says about the status of a Georgia driver’s license holder’s driving privileges. Once COVID restrictions are lifted, you can walk into any GA DDS Office near me.

Our DUI attorneys in Atlanta can help you with all of the issues concerning your license status once our Georgia DUI lawyers are representing you. Read more below about our aggressive and comprehensive handling of your DUI in Georgia first offense.

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An online check of the status of Georgia driver’s license holders’ records can be accessed at the Georgia Department of Driver Services website. By doing an online GA driver’s license check at the GA DMV website, you can know what your current licensing status is.

CAUTION: A time lag of as much as several weeks may be required for a change in any GA DDS license status for the administrative suspension. Be patient when you start to check your license status in GA.

Is My Georgia Driver’s License Suspended?

While most people who have a revoked or suspended license are aware of that driver’s license status, some Georgia drivers may be unaware of their lack of a valid drivers’ license in GA. Because dozens of potential causes exist (under Georgia driving laws) for a person to have a suspended license, if no mail notice of the action taken at the GA DMV (Georgia DDS) was sent out to (or never received by) the person caught driving without a license, this lack of notice can happen.

Georgia Driver's License suspended

Some quick examples of how this can happen including forgetting about traffic tickets and missing the traffic court date. Such oversights will lead to an “FTA” (failure to appear), a points suspension, or moving to a new address and not getting notice of a “super speeder GA” default in timely paying the extra $200 tax that is assessed by the State of Georgia via U.S. mail notification after the misdemeanor speeding case is closed out.

Plus, several non-driving issues can cause license suspension, including failing to pay child support payments or dropping out of high school. Contacting attorneys near me for help is the wise decision.

Georgia Superspeeders Bubba Head

Being Arrested for Driving While Suspended

Unfortunately, if caught driving with a suspended license GA, the police officer will be compelled to arrest you, since this motor vehicle crime (like DUI and hit and run) is one for which a law enforcement officer must remove you from being a further risk to the public, as a suspended or unlicensed driver. Law enforcement officers assume that no license also means no car insurance.

Plus, a conviction for driving with a suspended or revoked license can lead to jail time being imposed, by a criminal court judge, along with other penalties like probation, fines, and (if involved in a car accident, making restitution to others). Some Georgia statutes make a jail sentence mandatory upon the judge, especially for a repeat offense of driving while under suspension.

Is Driving Without a License a Misdemeanor?

Georgia Driver's License Suspended Misdemeanor

Yes, every traffic offense that is a moving violation is a misdemeanor in Georgia. All misdemeanors in GA unless specially modified by a particular statute, (e.g., seat belt violations), call for up to $1,000 fine and up to 12 months of jail time.

Do I Need a Traffic Lawyer in Georgia?

Bubba Head Traffic Lawyer Cost

Three categories of clients hire our law office near ne to assist with their traffic tickets, and these are:

People who are out of state, and cannot travel back to Georgia to personally handle the criminal case;
People too busy to take time away from their business or job, for the hours of work required to clear up a traffic citation problem; and
People who fear possibly being arrested, or who drive for a living (CDL licensee in a commercial motor vehicle), and do not want to risk coming to court.

Atlanta Municipal Court Failure to Appear

How to Correct a Driver’s License Suspension

Several steps are needed to rectify a driving on suspended license problem. Hiring a traffic lawyer is the quickest route to clearing up the legal problem and having a legal advocate may provide a needed “buffer” between you and the criminal justice system. To utilize “self-help,” without hiring a traffic attorney near me you will need to do these things:

Obtain your driving record from GA DDS or another state DMV or DPS, by the online method or walk-in to a driver’s license customer service center;
Contact the court for which your suspension was triggered or issued, by phone, if possible;
Keep copies of all paperwork, and (if possible) have each form electronically stored on your computer as a PDF for emailing to various possible State or County or municipal court agencies of criminal courts;
Have the cash to pay the fine or outstanding balance due (i.e., child support), before starting to clear up this basis for driver license suspension;
Depending on the problem, the last step will be to provide proof of resolution on the basis of the license suspension or revocation to Georgia DDS or other state driver’s licensing agency (e.g., WV DMV, SC DPS, NC DMV or AL DPS), and to pay the required reinstatement fee to that state.

Penalties for Driving Without a License

Various Georgia statutes call for different levels of punishment for those caught driving under suspension or without a plastic license. Your traffic ticket should identify the code section (which can be searched on Google) and the penalty for driving without a license. But the range of criminal punishments and driver’s license actions include:

Fine and surcharges;
Probation;
Restitution or reinstatement fees;
Jail time (if already suspended in a prior case);
Additional suspension or revocation of driver license at DDS GA;
Community service hours; and
Requiring the driver to meet Georgia’s financial responsibility laws for repaying for uninsured damage to property and/or personal injury claims, before being able to have GA driving privileges restored.

Lack of a Drivers License for Illegal Immigrants Means Arrest

As part of a steady tightening of security after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center towers, many states (including Georgia) began refusing to issue a driver’s license for illegal immigrants (even where the applicant had another valid license issued by another state). Current federal policy toward anyone found in the United States without the legal right to be here is far more ominous and potentially life-changing if arrested.

One winning strategy for our three legal advocates has been to win a DUI roadblock case, based in 4^th Amendment violations. This would cause ALL criminal charges to be dropped.