Indianapolis Driver’s License Suspensions and Reinstatement Attorney
Let Us Help You Reinstate Your Driver’s License
When the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) or an Indiana court determines that a driver has acted in an illegal or harmful way—or has demonstrated a pattern of committing smaller offenses—they can suspend your driver’s license. Not being able to drive can often seriously disrupt a driver’s life and knowing how the BMV’s license suspension and reinstatement system works can be critical in making sure you are legally back on the road as soon as possible.
If your license has been suspended and you want to streamline the reinstatement process, then it is recommended that you contact a knowledgeable and thorough Indianapolis driver’s license lawyer at Keffer Hirschauer LLP today. Our trusted team is ready to sit down with you, review the circumstances of your suspension, and help you take the proper steps to get you back behind the wheel.
What can cause a driver’s license to be suspended?
Here are some of the various actions that can cause someone to have his or her license suspended:
- Operating a vehicle while intoxicated by alcohol or drugs ( DUI/OVWI/OVI )
- Being considered a habitual traffic violator, meaning the driver has committed a certain number of traffic violations within a 10-year period
- Failing to complete Driver Safety Program (DSP) or Defensive Driving Course (DDC) when it has been ordered by the court (usually required after convictions for traffic violations)
- Driving without insurance
- Failing to pay traffic tickets or failing to appear in court regarding traffic citations
- Accumulating 18 or more traffic ticket “points” during a two-year period (as explained below)
Your License & “Points”
Indiana uses a points system to monitor a driver’s illegal activity on the road, where each moving violation assigns certain number of points to your license. If eighteen of these points accumulate on your license over the course of two years, then a hearing is set and it is likely your license automatically becomes suspended.
Common violations and their point values include:
- Traveling 1-15 mph over the speed limit: 2 points
- Ignoring a traffic device: 4 points
- Failure to signal: 2 points
- Failure to yield: 6 points
- Failure to yield for an emergency vehicle: 8 points
- Improper U-turn: 4 points
- Driving while suspended: 8 points plus a mandatory suspension
Many of the more serious violations come with high point value, plus an automatic license suspension of one year. These include driving while suspended, resisting law enforcement inside a vehicle, and operating a vehicle while being suspended as a habitual traffic violator.
Getting Your License Reinstated
Just because you have accumulated eighteen or more points does not necessarily mean your license will be completely suspended. If a BMV hearing is set, then you may have the opportunity to argue down some of your violations or petition for specialized driving privileges. At Keffer Hirschauer LLP, we are prepared to stand by you during these hearings, speak emphatically on your behalf, and ensure that every avenue towards retaining your ability to drive is explored.
There are some cases in which it is possible to completely avoid a license suspension or to get your driver’s license reinstated sooner rather than later. For example, it may be possible to prove that the driver was actually insured at the time of his or her citation, or there may be strong grounds to contest a DUI/OVWI/OVI suspension in an administrative hearing (such as the grounds that the officer did not have enough probable cause to make the stop).
Get Help from our Indiana Drivers License Suspension Attorneys
If you are at risk of having your driver’s license suspended or you need help getting your license reinstated after a suspension, you should not hesitate to consult with a competent attorney. At Keffer Hirschauer LLP, our Indianapolis lawyers are fully knowledgeable of how the BMV system works and what steps need to be taken to help you protect your driving privileges.
Our legal team wants to do everything possible to help you avoid a driver’s license suspension, or to help you regain your license as soon as possible after your suspension. Contact Keffer Hirschauer LLP so we can advocate for you!