WILL I LOSE MY LICENSE IF I’VE BEEN PULLED OVER ON A SPEEDING VIOLATION?
You’ve just left a meeting and you’re heading home and traffic starts to pick-up, so do you. Everyone else is keeping up with traffic so you should be okay, right? Not necessarily.
WILL I LOSE MY LICENSE FOR DRIVING 15 MILES PER HOUR OVER THE SPEED LIMIT?
Not all speeding tickets lead to a suspension of your North Carolina driver’s license. In North Carolina the law for excessive speeding states that the Division of Motor Vehicles shall suspend a license for a period of 30 days of any driver without preliminary hearing on receiving a record of the driver’s conviction of either
- exceeding by more than 15 miles per hour the speed limit, either within or outside the corporate limits of a municipality, if the person was also driving at a speed in excess of 55 miles per hour at the time of the offense, or
- driving at a speed in excess of 80 miles per hour at the time of the offense.
Speeding 80 in a 65 mph zone, 70 in a 55 mph zone, or 60 in a 45 mph zone means a person is not a risk because it’s not more than 15 mph over the speed limit.
CAN LICENSES BE REVOKED FOR A PERIOD LONGER THAN 30 DAYS?
In some situations, your license could be revoked or suspended for up to six months. Generally, this means you have gotten more than two speeding tickets in a year or committed other traffic violations while speeding.
A license will be revoked for 60 days if an individual is convicted of:
- Two speeding charges within one year
- Speeding plus reckless driving on the same occasion
IS IT A MYTH THAT I COULD GET A TICKET DRIVING TOO SLOWLY?
Almost everyone has received a speeding ticket. However, North Carolina traffic laws allow police to ticket people driving too slowly because they could be impeding traffic flow. Also, going too slow in the left lane of certain roads could lead to a traffic citation.
WHAT RESULTS IN AN IMMEDIATE SUSPENSION?
Driving recklessly or aggressively could result in a license suspension. Expect your insurance rates to nearly double for three years. The expense of reckless driving could make it nearly impossible for you to continue driving even after your driving privilege has been restored.
WILL I NEED TO GET A LAWYER?
Each client’s case is unique. Even if you have met the requirements listed by the NC Official North Carolina DMV Website, it is likely that seeking legal counsel can help you avoid losing your driving privilege.
Attorney Leslie Craft has the experience you need to deal with bankruptcy and traffic violations. Ms. Craft’s goal is always to help her clients get past their legal problems and get on with their lives.