Suspended Drivers License from a DUI: Options for Getting it Back

After being arrested and charged with a DUI, also known as a driving under the influence charge, you will find that your driver’s license will be summarily suspended or revoked pending the outcome of a trial to determine your guilt or innocence in the charges at hand.  Of course, your life does not stop because you have been charged with a DUI, so you will still need to get to work or school while you are waiting for your DUI hearing to take place.  So, what are your options for getting a DUI drivers license or for having your suspended license reinstated pending the outcome of your DUI hearing?

Getting Your License Back After a DUI

• The best chance that you have to have your suspended license reinstated pending the outcome of a DUI hearing is to request an administrative hearing at the DMV in your state. 

The Department of Motor Vehicles is in charge of issuing driver’s licenses, and a DMV administrative hearing will allow you to present your case for having your license temporarily reinstated.  An administrative hearing will not deal with the issue of guilt or innocence in the case, but will deal with extenuating circumstances regarding the arrest that could lead to the license suspension being invalidated.

• If the administrative hearing official does not determine that you should have your license reinstated, you can also apply for a temporary license separately through the DMV. 

A temporary license will allow you to drive back and forth to work or school, allowing you to continue to meet your life commitments without worrying about using public transportation or having to get rides from friends or co-workers.  The temporary license will be issued pending the outcome of your DUI case at trial, so if the DUI trial establishes that your license should be revoked, this temporary license can be invalidated.

Getting Help

The best thing that you can do if you have been charged with a DUI and you wish to have your license suspension delayed or removed is to contact a competent DUI attorney.  While the methods listed give you a good chance of getting a temporary license, the ultimate outcome of your license suspension will be decided in court, at the trial that has been set for your DUI.  In order to make sure that you keep your license, you will want to have an experienced professional to guide you through the DUI laws and possible defenses.