People can have their driver's licenses suspended or revoked for any number of reasons. Getting it back is a different matter altogether. Oftentimes, just understanding the difference between a suspension of someone's driver's license and a revocation of it can be difficult.
It is important to note at the outset that there will always be a triggering event before someone's driver's license is suspended or revoked. Typically speaking, it will follow a conviction or convictions for traffic offenses, the offense of Driving while Under the Influence (or "DUI"), or some other offense.
The difference between suspensions and revocations boils down to their duration and the means by which to obtain one's driver's license afterward. A suspension of someone's driver's license will always be for a finite—or fixed—period of time. In other words, when someone's driver's license is suspended, it will generally only be for three (3), six (6), or twelve (12) months. Depending on the person's driving history and whether or not that person has been arrested for the offense of Driving while License Suspended, that extension could be extended beyond that initial period, regardless of how long that period was originally for. How a person gets his or her driver's license back after a suspension is simple: Illinois requires the payment of a reinstatement fee. What the fee is can depend on the basis of the suspension, but, as long as that reinstatement fee is paid, then that person should be eligible to drive.
There is only one exception to this, and it occurs when a person has other bases for suspension. This is because a person could be suspended for any number of things, and those suspensions would run simultaneously. In other words, a person could have a suspension for one offense in effect at the same time that a suspension for an entirely different offense is also in effect. That said, most people do not need legal help after a suspension, because all that is required is paying the fee.
With revocations of driver's licenses in the State of Illinois, they are not finite, they are not fixed, and a person could be revoked the rest of his or her life. The reason is that a person cannot get back onto the road until having a hearing granting that person reinstatement or a driving permit. We have represented people who have been revoked more than twenty (20) years, even when that person was eligible to apply for full reinstatement or a driving permit years before. The only reason that person was revoked for so long was because of the fact that he or she never applied to get his or her driver's license back before then. When it comes to revocations, most people will need help in order to obtain either a permit to drive or full reinstatement of their driver's licenses. Unfortunately, even other attorneys who claim to represent people at driver's license hearings wind up being disappointed. This is one reason why we work together, put several pairs of eyes on a person's reinstatement case, and make sure our clients are 100% ready before we ever have our hearing. Our success speaks for itself, and we are available to speak with anyone about getting them their driver's license back.
Copyright © 2017 by Brendan Bukalski
The information provided in this article is general in nature, and should not be relied upon as legal advice or interpreted as creating an attorney-client relationship . As a general rule, all specific legal problems should be handled by an individual's attorney. All rights reserved. Any copying, duplication, or commercial use of the information contained in this column is strictly prohibited without prior permission.