After the first one? You bet.
In this blog I will talk about driving while suspended, 75 Pa.C.S.A. 1543a. I will discuss driving while suspended DUI in another post.
There are many ways to get suspended.
Getting too many points in a short period for different traffic offenses. Driving with suspended registration. Driving without insurance. Getting in a car accident and not paying the judgement. Not responding to a traffic ticket. Yes, you can be suspended for not pleading guilty or not guilty to a ticket. Not paying child support and so on and on.
If you are driving while suspended, about 90 plus percent of the time you will get charged with it. As I tell my clients all of the time: There is a difference between getting charged and getting convicted. In Pennsylvania your first driving while suspended will only result in a one-year additional suspension. From the second to the fifth time a person is convicted of driving while suspended, a jail sentence is up to the judge. After your sixth and subsequent conviction the minimum is 30 days in jail with a maximum of 6 months. There is no 10 year look back to determine minimum jail time like there is for DUI offenses. It makes no sense that with DUI charges there is a time limit to increase jail time. But as I always say, the law doesn’t make a lot of sense. That is why my firm is so busy.
Now being charged with driving while suspended doesn’t mean you will be convicted. There are many defenses. However, in most cases the police can show a driver is the driver and their license is suspended. In most cases it comes down to mitigating damages. There is a limitless number of legitimate reasons that can be used to do that. That is where experienced lawyers come in and where getting the mitigation together BEFORE court comes to play.