Michigan lawmakers consider driving a motor vehicle a privilege, not a right. That means that it’s a crime to operate a motor vehicle while your operator’s license is suspended, revoked or denied. It’s also a crime to operate a motor vehicle without ever having had a license. For a first offense, driving on a suspended license is a misdemeanor in Grand Traverse County and throughout Michigan.
It can come with up to ninety three days in jail, fines and even probation. Most people receive a fine but if there are unusual circumstances in your case, you can receive fines and jail. It’s not uncommon for law enforcement to arrest you if they catch you driving without a license.

Enhanced Charges for Driving While License Suspended

There are a few things that you can do to turn your Driving While License Suspended, Revoked, Denied charge into a felony. If you cause someone serious bodily injury or death because you drove on a suspended license, your offense is a very serious felony. In that case, it’s critical that you work with a skilled and experienced Traverse City criminal defense attorney or Traverse City suspended license attorney to defend yourself from the charges to the fullest extent of the law. You’re likely looking at significant jail time and other penalties, and you should work with an attorney to explore all of your options for your strongest defense.

You can also face enhanced charges if you face a suspended license charge after a previous conviction. In that case, you can face a one-year misdemeanor. You likely face higher fines and a longer period of vehicle immobilization. Vehicle immobilization becomes longer for each time you have a previous conviction.

Can I get a license elsewhere?

You might wonder if you can solve this problem by getting a valid driver’s license in another state. Often times, if you have multiple suspensions on your license or multiple drunk driving convictions, you may be under indefinite suspensions. A Michigan license restoration lawyer knows that in some cases, you have to complete a waiting period before there’s any chance of getting your license back.

Some people try to circumvent this problem by getting a license in another state. They think that if they can’t get a license in Michigan, they can get a license in another state and be in the clear. They even think that they can drive in Michigan with the license from the other state, even when their Michigan license remains suspended.

Don’t make this mistake. The truth is that if your license is suspended in Michigan, you can’t lawfully drive a motor vehicle. This is true even if you have a valid license in another state. If your privilege to operate a motor vehicle in Michigan is suspended, you can expect to receive a driving while license suspended charge. Law enforcement can see your suspension when they run your information in their LEIN database.

Let’s work together

Your best bet is to work with a Grand Traverse driver’s license restoration attorney in order to work on getting a valid license. A Grand Traverse license lawyer can evaluate your case and tell you what it’s going to take in order to get a valid license. Then, you can make a plan to work together so that your license restoration request is successful on the first try.

At Razavi Law, we enjoy helping each client work towards license restoration. Whether you’re in Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Kalkaska, Wexford, Benzie, Antrim or Kalkaska counties, were can work with you to make sure that we present your license restoration case in the best possible light. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can get you on track to being lawfully back on the roads. If you’d like to get your Michigan license back, please contact us at (231) 486-6366 today.