Focus on the Offense of Driving on a Suspended License in Georgia

As a Georgia DUI Attorney, I handle a lot of cases concerning either driving on a suspended license or the suspension of a license as a result of minor or more serious traffic violations. Over the weekend, I received a lot of calls concerning suspended license violations, so I would like to clear up some information.

In today's post, I will focus on the offense of driving on a suspended license in Georgia. 

Driving on a suspended license is a much more serious offense than most people initially believe. The offense can actually lead to an arrest. Whether your license has been suspended as a result of a DUI in Georgia or for the failure to pay a traffic ticket, it can start a pretty vicious cycle. Let's examine the law. 

Driving on a Suspended License in Georgia

The Georgia Code defines the offense of driving on a suspended or revoked license as:

Except when a license has been revoked under Code Section 40-5-58 as a habitual violator, any person who drives a motor vehicle on any public highway of this state without being licensed as required by subsection (a) of Code Section 40-5-20 or at a time when his or her privilege to so drive is suspended, disqualified, or revoked shall be guilty of a misdemeanor for a first conviction thereof and, upon a first conviction thereof or plea of nolo contendere within five years, as measured from the dates of previous arrests for which convictions were obtained to the date of the current arrest for which a conviction is obtained or a plea of nolo contendere is accepted, shall be fingerprinted and shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than two days nor more than 12 months, and there may be imposed in addition thereto a fine of not less than $500.00 nor more than $1,000.00. O.C.G.A. 40-5-121.

Being found guilty of a driving on a suspended license will lead to another suspended license. This leads to your license suspension being extended by another time period - usually a minimum of 6 months. 

This starts the cycle I mentioned earlier where each and every arrest (and subsequent conviction) results in more suspensions of your driver's license. 

Practice Note

If you have been cited or arrested for driving on a suspended license, contact a Georgia DUI Lawyer today. We will advise you on how to get your Georgia Driver's License re-instated. We will work towards the dismissal or reduction of your suspended license charge. This is how we stop the cycle. 

We are trained to get to the bottom of your license issues and help you avoid the increasing penalties of driving on a suspended license.