If your driver’s license has been suspended, you likely have very few options for getting where you need to be and may have succumbed to driving on your suspended license. To get to work, the grocery store, or practically anywhere in this great big state of ours, you basically need to be able to drive. Driving on a suspended license, however, can be a serious charge with serious consequences.
Driving with License Invalid
If you are caught driving with a suspended license in Texas, the charge is called driving while license invalid, which is also known as DWLI. The fact is that it is illegal to drive in Texas during any period in which your driver’s license – or driver’s privileges – have been suspended or revoked in accordance with any state law.
Legal Consequences
A basic DWLI is a Class C offense, which generally amounts to little more than a traffic ticket, but if your charge is complicated by an additional factor, the charge you face can be a Class B – or even a Class A – misdemeanor. For example:
- If your license was suspended because of a DWI, driving can earn you a class B misdemeanor, and the penalties can include up to 6 months in jail and up to $2,000 in fines.
- If your license was suspended because you caused an injury-inducing accident while driving without insurance, driving can earn you a class A misdemeanor, and the penalties can include up to a year in jail and up to $4,000 in fines.
Further, it is important to recognize that a DWLI conviction can lead to an even lengthier license suspension.
The Point System
If you rack up enough points on your license for moving violations, it will automatically trigger the suspension of your license. Four moving violations in a 12-month period or seven moving violations in a 24-month period is enough to have your driving privileges automatically shut down. You do, however, have 20 days to contest such a suspension and will be provided a court date to do so. If the court nevertheless rules in favor of your suspension, you still have the option of appealing that decision at this point. In other words, you do have legal options that you should investigate sooner rather than later.
If You Are Facing DWLI Charges, an Experienced Killeen Criminal Lawyer Can Help
Most of us rely heavily on our ability to drive where we need to go, but we tend to take this privilege for granted. If you have been charged with DWLI, you need the professional legal counsel of an experienced criminal lawyer, and Brett Pritchard at The Law Office of Brett H. Pritchard in Killeen, Texas, is here to help. Mr. Pritchard is a formidable criminal lawyer who is committed to aggressively advocating on behalf of your rights and for your case’s most positive resolution. To learn more, please do not hesitate to contact or call us at 254-501-4040 today.
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