Driving Without A License Attorney

Driving With a Suspended License Charges: 14601.1 (a) (VC)

If you have had your driver’s license suspended or revoked, you might be tempted to drive, hoping your chances of getting pulled over will be slim. Suppose you are stopped by the police though. In that case, you’ll certainly regret the decision, as operating a motor vehicle with a suspended or revoked license, charged under California Vehicle Code 14601.1 (a) (VC), carries grave consequences. If you are being charged with driving after losing your driver’s license, please call Peter M. Liss.

Reasons For DMV License Suspensions

There are many reasons your driving privileges can be revoked or suspended in California. These may include:

• Being charged with a DUI
• Getting convicted of certain drug crimes
• Failing to maintain auto insurance
• Failing to appear in court on a traffic ticket
• Forgetting to file an SR1 traffic collision report after an accident
• Being convicted for many offenses in the juvenile court system
• Having a medical condition that prevents you from driving safely
• Neglecting to pay child support
• Being convicted for vehicular homicide
• Getting too many points on your DMV record
• and more

In some cases, the DMV may permanently prohibit someone from legally driving because that person was convicted of using a motor vehicle as a deadly weapon in an act of road rage or they are a habitual traffic offender caught driving before their license was reinstated.

Penalties for 14601.1(a)(VC)

Violating a driver’s license suspension or revocation is a misdemeanor charge punishable by a fine of up to $1000 and six months in jail. A conviction for 14601.1(a)(VC) will also result in the DMV adding two points to your record, and these points will still be added even if your defense attorneys can plea the case down to an infraction. A driver who gets four points in a year is considered a negligent operator and faces an additional six month DMV suspension.

The consequences may be increased if you have prior criminal driving convictions and, in cases where you received a license suspension after getting a DUI, you may be forced to install an ignition interlock device. If you have been declared a habitual traffic offender after several serious car accidents, moving citations or automobile-related crimes and are then convicted for driving with a suspended license, you could have your driving privileges permanently revoked in California. Your vehicle could also be subject to mandatory vehicle impoundment.

However, alternative sentences may be given in some instances. Because the potential penalties for 14601.1(a)(VC) are severe, you should obtain a skilled criminal defense attorney as soon as possible to obtain the best results under the particular facts and law of your case. Your attorney’s knowledge of defenses, sentencing guidelines, and alternative sentencing options will be vital to obtaining the best possible outcome given your specific circumstances.

Call a License Suspension Lawyer Immediately

Whatever the reason for the suspension or revocation of your license, driving without a legal driver’s license is a crime in California under 14601.1(a)(VC), and you can be arrested and taken into custody. This serious charge requires a top criminal defense lawyer. It’s also worth mentioning that the US Supreme Court has held that the simple fact that a vehicle belongs to someone with a suspended license is sufficient grounds for a police officer to pull someone over, so it is difficult to argue that the officer lacked reasonable suspicion to stop a vehicle in these cases.