Having your driver’s license suspended may be due to several reasons. Sometimes you may not know why you have been stopped by a traffic officer. In most cases, your license may be suspended after a DUI (Driving Under the Influence) charge or if you refuse to take the breath test or if you have been driving recklessly and you are charged. It may also be that you were issued three traffic violation tickets within the same year.
What is a suspended license?
An individual who has an invalid or a revoked license is said to have a suspended license. Sometimes it may also be that the individuals license expired or their application for a driver’s license was rejected.
If you live in Rhode Island and you drive without a license issued by the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles or you are from another state but you hold a revoked or cancelled driver’s license, then you are violating the Rhode Island’s traffic laws.
In Rhode Island there are some repercussions for driving with a suspended license. There are several laws and penalties that are applicable to any one who is caught driving with a suspended license.
The following are the repercussions of driving on a suspended license in Rhode Island.
1. When driving on a suspended license in Rhode Island you will be charged with a first offense of driving on a suspended license. Your will also receive a license suspension of three months.
In the event that your license was suspended for previous criminal offenses such as reckless driving, DUI and breath test among other things, you will have to pay a fine of $500 and serve a minimum of 10 days in jail.
2. For the second offense, if you are driving on a suspended license you will be charged an additional license suspension for a minimum of six months.
If your license was already under suspension for previous criminal charges such as reckless driving or refusal to take the breath test within the last five years, then you will have to pay a fine of $500 and a minimum of six months to one year in jail.
3. If you are charged with the third offense of driving without a license within a five year conviction, you will be charged with a felony. You will have to pay a fine of $1,000 and face a minimum jail sentence of one year with an additional license suspension for a minimum of one year.