What Can I Do? I Still Need to Drive!

For most people, the loss of driving privileges that comes with a suspended driver’s license in New York poses a challenge. When you are used to driving yourself to work or to school, you could find yourself scrambling to come up with other ways to get where you need to go until your full driving privileges have been reinstated. In some cases, paying the fees to reinstate a suspended license is not an option immediately, but you still need to get yourself to work or the kids to school.

If you are having trouble paying the fees to reinstate your license, your first step should be to consult an experienced attorney in NYC to find out what options might be available, as those options depend to a certain extent on why your license was suspended in the first place.

In some cases, some of the following options might be available:

Pay Online in Full

If you don’t have cash available to pay fines, traffic tickets or the suspension termination fee, you can pay them online using a major credit card.

Enter into a Payment Plan

If you do not have a default conviction for failing to answer fines or surcharges for traffic violations, the DMV may allow you to make a partial payment of one-half of the amount owed before your license is suspended. This gives you an extra two weeks, during which you need to pay the remaining one-half of the fines if you want to avoid a suspended license.

Unfortunately, if your license has already been suspended, the DMV will not clear that suspension until the amount owed has been paid in full.

Conditional License or Restricted License

If your license was suspended for an alcohol- or drug-related offense, you may be eligible to apply for a conditional license.

If you lost your driving privileges for a reason other than a alcohol- or drug-related offense, You will need to apply at the DMV, and you will need to show proof that you need some limited driving privileges. If your application is approved, you will be limited to driving:

• to and from work, and for your job
• to and from school
• for medical appointments for yourself or a household member, if you have a doctor’s statement documenting the need
• to and from your children’s school or daycare
• to and from a driver’s rehabilitation program

An experienced attorney can help you determine if applying for a conditional or restricted license makes sense, and can help you through the process if so.

Motions to Vacate

If your license was suspended because you accumulated too many points, an attorney may recommend filing a motion with the courts to vacate previous traffic convictions. Essentially, this is asking the courts to re-open the case. Your attorney will then defend the charges on your behalf which may result in reducing or removing points which can help avoid, or end, a suspended license.

Conclusion

Although it can be tempting when you need to get somewhere and are not sure what else to do, never drive with a suspended license. Doing so can subject you to fines, increased insurance costs, jail time and criminal charges for aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

If your driving privileges have been suspended, talk to an attorney with expertise in license suspensions to find out what your options are. Benjamin Goldman‘s dedicated approach will help you get back on the road.

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Disclaimer: All the content of this website has been prepared by Benjamin Goldman Law Office PC for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The information on this website shall not be construed as an offer to represent you, nor is it intended to create, nor shall the receipt of such information constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Our hope is that you will find the information useful and informative, and we would be happy to communicate with you and answer any questions you may have about our legal services. Readers should not act upon the information on this website, or decide not to act based upon the information on this website, without first seeking appropriate professional counsel from an attorney licensed in the home state of the drivers license of the person who received the relevant traffic citation.