Suspensions related to traffic infractions may come from the DMV or may be initiated by a court. Here a quick review of 5 causes with the potential fixes.
Court Initiated Suspensions
Court initiated suspensions often are the cause of Unlicensed Aggravated Operation charges. AUO or, driving on a suspended license, is a misdemeanor in New York. Misdemeanors are, by definition, punishable by up to a year in jail. In practice however, we rarely see jail time fro an AUO. Typically, the driver clears the suspension and we are able to negotiate a reduction of the charge.
A court will direct the DMV to suspend a driving license if a driver:
1. Fails to answer or appear for a ticket; or,
2. Fails to pay a fine to the court.
Fix: Reply to the Court
When the court reports a driver to the DMV for one of the reasons above, the DMV will send a notice to the driver that their license will be suspended on a certain date if no corrective action is taken. Typically, the driver will have 30 days to take the corrective action.
If they do not, the suspension will go into effect and the driver will have to pay $70 to lift the suspension. This suspension lift fee only lifts the suspension, the driver still must pay the fine or address the ticket.
DMV Initiated Suspensions
The DMV keeps track will suspend a driving license if a driver:
3. Acquires 11 points or more on their license in an 18 month period; or,
4. Acquires 3 speeding or misdemeanor convictions in an 18 month period, regardless of the point total.
5. Junior License convicted of a serious traffic violation.
If a driver has a DJ or MJ junior license, the DMV will suspend a license for 60 days if the driver is convicted on any “serious traffic violation.” In general, a serious traffic violation is any that carries 3 or more points. Therefore, all speeding tickets would be considered serious.
Fix: Restricted Use Licence
For drivers suspended by the DMV, a restricted use license might be available for driving to necessities like work and school.
Fix: Changing Your Record
It is sometimes possible to change your driving record by reopening old convictions and substituting a more serious conviction with a less serious one.
The legal procedure to do this is called a motion coram nobis. If you have been suspended for excessive convictions, please call us at (315) 364-1155 to see if we can change your driving record.