Driving is a privilege, not a right. The state can suspend it for many reasons, and driving anyway makes things much worse. Penalties grow with each offense and are harshest if the original suspension was for DUI or refusal.
Know the rule
A suspension means your license is taken away and you may not drive for a stated period. Fines and imprisonment may be added. Some suspensions are decided case by case by the MVC Chief Administrator or the courts.
Handbook p. 124 ↗Habitual offender
A motorist whose driver license has been suspended three times in three years.
Handbook p. 124 ↗Reasons you can lose your driving privilege
- Failure to answer or pay parking tickets
- Driving while suspended
- Failure to provide proof of insurance
- Physical or mental disqualification
- Drug or alcohol use
- Traffic law violations
- Being at fault in a fatal crash
- Failure to respond to an MVC notice
Know the rule
The MVC Chief Administrator may require a problem driver to be re-examined to decide whether privileges should be suspended.
Handbook p. 124 ↗Driving while suspended
| Offense | Penalty |
|---|---|
| 1st | $500 fine; up to 6 more months suspended |
| 2nd | $750; up to 5 days jail; up to 6 more months |
| 3rd | $1,000; 10 days jail; up to 6 more months |
Extra penalties for driving while suspended
- Suspended for no insurance: $500, 1 to 2 more years, possible jail up to 90 days
- Causing a crash with injury: fine, continued suspension, possible minimum 45 days in jail
- Suspended for DUI, refusal or habitual offender: $500, 1 to 2 more years, possible 10-90 days jail
- Same, on or within 1,000 feet of school property: 60 to 90 days in jail (1st), then 120, 150, 180
- Driving without a court-ordered interlock: an extra one-year suspension
Know the rule
Driving while suspended for a second or later DUI or refusal, or for a first one after a prior conviction for driving on that suspension, is a fourth-degree crime.
Handbook p. 133 ↗Know the rule
Knowingly letting a person suspended for DUI or refusal drive your vehicle: up to 6 months' license and registration suspension, plus $1,000 and/or up to 15 days in jail; a third offense adds a 90-day loss of driving rights.
Handbook p. 134 ↗Know the rule
Having someone else take your license exam, or taking it for someone: $200 to $500 and/or 30 to 90 days in jail.
Handbook p. 134 ↗Know the rule
Owing six months or more of child support or court-ordered health coverage can lead to court-ordered suspension of driver and professional licenses.
Handbook p. 134 ↗Know the rule
Boating DUI suspends both boating and driving privileges ($250 to $500 first offense). Violators under 17 have vehicle and moped licenses delayed 3 months, 6 months or 2 years for 1st, 2nd and 3rd offenses.
Handbook p. 134 ↗Know the rule
A parent or guardian convicted of DUI with a minor (under 18) in the vehicle is guilty of a disorderly persons offense: up to 6 months' suspension and up to 5 days of community service.
Handbook p. 135 ↗Put it into practice
A driver suspended for unpaid parking tickets drives to work and is stopped. As a first offense, that's a $500 fine and up to six more months of suspension. If the suspension had been for DUI, it would be $500, 1 to 2 more years, and possible jail.