If you do something wrong while on the road, maybe you won’t get in any legal trouble for it. Often, it comes down to whether a police officer happens to see you. These days, you might also sometimes get a ticket if a traffic camera catches you doing something illegal.
If you commit an egregious traffic violation, the court system may take away your license temporarily. Getting your suspended license back requires compliance. You will likely have to do what the judge said before you can legally drive again.
They might tell you that you have to do community service. They may order you to take some remedial driving courses. Depending on what exactly you did, they might have some other requirements for you to get your license back as well.
You can get in even more legal trouble if you drive without a license, so doing what the judge says becomes crucial. Till you get your license back, you might have to take public transportation to and from work.
You may need to get a family member or friend to drive you anywhere else you need to go. The people who you know might get pretty sick of that, so it’s another incentive for you to get back your license.
If you know about most reasons why the court system might take away your driver’s license, though, then you can hopefully avoid those activities. In this article, we will talk about five of the most common vehicular violations that can get the court to take your license.
The Number of Violations Matters
Before we jump into our list of common traffic violations that can lead to the court suspending your license, we should make one important point. If you have repeated traffic or vehicular violations, a judge will probably look on your case more harshly.
For instance, a single violation might not cause a judge to take away your license temporarily if it’s a first offense. Maybe if you show contrition, then the judge will have mercy and let you off with a fine and a warning. If they see that you’ve done this same behavior multiple times, though, then they may feel you’re a menace.
If so, they might throw the book at you. Anyone can make a single poor decision, but someone who frequently acts recklessly or carelessly on the road probably needs harsher treatment for them to learn.
Exceeding the Speed Limit Substantially
Almost everyone speeds a little bit from time to time. Even the most law-abiding individual might go five miles-per-hour over the speed limit on the highway occasionally. If a highway patrol officer sees you doing this, they might let you get away with it.
However, if you’re speeding on the highway or in a residential neighborhood, and you’re going 40 miles over the limit, that’s not so forgivable. Acting that way makes no sense. You’re endangering yourself and other drivers, but also pedestrians, cyclists, pets, and kids playing in their yards close to the street.
If a judge sees that you exceeded the speed limit by a ridiculous amount, they might temporarily take away your license, even if you never got a ticket before. They will do that to show you that they won’t tolerate this kind of behavior.
Hopefully, you can look at this as a wakeup call. You can wait out the length of your license suspension and do whatever else the judge asks of you, and you will never do anything like this again.
Speeding in a School Zone
If you speed in a school zone, especially during active school hours, that’s another common situation where a judge might decide to take your license temporarily. Exceeding the posted speed limit while in a school zone can end tragically if you’re not careful. If a child decides to try to cross the street while you’re flying down the road, then you might seriously injure or even kill them.
Again, a judge might see you do this a single time and suspend your license, even if you don’t have any prior offenses on your record. When you get your license back, you will know to slow down the next time you pass a school that’s in session.
Driving Drunk
If you drive drunk, that’s a classic scenario where a judge might take away your driver’s license. If you ingest enough alcohol so that you’re over the legal limit, and you decide to drive, that shows a level of indifference to the public’s safety that a judge won’t appreciate.
They might take away your license after just one offense, especially if they see you drank far more than the law allows before driving. They may want you to attend AA meetings and to do some community service before they will give you back your license.
Driving While Under the Influence of Marijuana
If you drive while under the influence of marijuana, a judge might take your license temporarily. Recreational marijuana has legal status in several states now, and you can buy various products in stores that feature it as an ingredient. However, you should never use any of these products before driving.
It’s sometimes a little harder for a cop who pulls you over to establish that you used one of these products. If they can do it successfully, though, then a judge may take your license for a time. Once again, you’re probably looking at a fine and community service before you can drive legally again.
Distracted Driving Causing Injuries
If you let something distract you, like your smartphone, and you cause an accident with some injuries, a judge might temporarily suspend your license. If some eyewitnesses say that they saw you texting on your phone, and that caused the crash, then you’ll likely have this outcome.
You shouldn’t let anything distract you while driving, including your phone. If you do, then you might have to spend time without your license.
