Northwest Indiana License Suspension And Reinstatement Attorney

If you are charged with violating a driving-related law or acting in a harmful way, and it has been determined by a court in Indiana or the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, then your license may be suspended. It’s a move intended by the courts and law enforcement to protect people on the roads, and it can have a dramatic impact on your life. Not being able to drive can be a detriment to your daily commute, social life, or even simple daily errands. 

If your license has been suspended and you’re looking to fight the suspension or speed up the process of reinstatement, then driver’s license lawyers are a necessity. 

Stracci Law Group’s team has years of experience working to reinstate licenses in Hammond, Crown Point, Portage, Merrillville, and other regions across Northwest Indiana. Our lawyers start by learning as much about your case as possible before considering every possible way of getting your license reinstated as quickly as possible. 

Want to find out more? Call Stracci Law Group for a free consultation today at 219-525-1000!

Reasons For Your Driver's License Suspension In Indiana

Several violations can lead to license suspension in Indiana.

• Habitual Traffic Violations. Habitual traffic violators have committed several violations within a ten-year period.
• OWI. OWI (“operating while intoxicated”) is a charge reserved for those who operate a vehicle while intoxicated. In other states, this is known as a “DUI,” meaning “driving under the influence.”
• Traffic Tickets. Failing to pay traffic tickets or not appearing in court after traffic citations.
• Driving Without Insurance. Failing to acquire legally required insurance and driving regardless.
• Failing to Complete Safety Programs. Failing to complete a Defensive Driving Course or a Driver Safety Program ordered by the court.

Demerit Points For License Suspension 

Indiana uses its own demerit points system to determine when a person’s license should be suspended. With each driving violation, a driver’s license will receive a certain number of points, and when those points reach eighteen over a two-year period, the driver will need to attend a hearing. 

At this point, it is likely that the license will be suspended. 

Each violation carries a different number of points, and it may take quite a few violations before you reach the stage where your license may be suspended. However, it can take only a handful of major violations before you could lose your license. 

Indiana’s point system awards the following points for these driving offenses: 

• Driving While Suspended: 8 Points + Mandatory Suspension
• Improper U-Turn: 4 Points
• Failure to Yield for Emergency Vehicle: 8 Points
• Failure to Yield: 6 Points
• Failure to Signal: 2 Points
• Ignoring a Traffic Device: 5 Points
• Traveling up to 15mph Over Speed Limit: 2 Points

How Long Can Your License Suspension Last? 

If your license is taken away from you by a court, it could be permanent or temporary. A license suspension means you will eventually receive your license back, while a revocation is a permanent measure that means you may never be allowed to drive again legally. 

In Indiana, a license suspension will be enforced for a minimum period of 90 days, though depending on the severity of the driving violations, this could be extended to a maximum of two years. A license suspension will officially begin 18 days after the notice of suspension is sent. 

As noted already, a license suspension will often occur when an individual reaches 18 points after committing several driving offenses. 

A revocation is much more permanent. No set date is given for the license to be reinstated, and it may never be reinstated. Typically, a license revocation will be enforced if the offender is guilty of multiple DUI convictions, reckless driving that resulted in injury or death, or causing an accident while being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Only in some circumstances is an individual eligible to apply for reinstatement of their license after a period of time, but this is not certain.

How To Get Your License Reinstated

When you hire a lawyer to get your license back, you reinstate your license and restore your full driving privileges. You won’t be granted a restricted driving permit, known as an RDP. Instead, you will be granted a full license that allows you to drive as you would before your license was revoked. 

An RDP is typically only issued to someone who lost their license but can prove that they would suffer “undue hardship” by losing the privilege of driving, which could mean getting to work, attending medical appointments, or driving their children to school. 

Stracci Law Group utilizes multiple methods to reinstate your license fully. This may be done during the initial hearing after you receive 18 points on your license, whereby we may be able to argue some of the violations on your record or file a petition for specialized driving privileges. 

In other cases, we may be able to take steps to reduce the amount of time that your license is suspended for; for instance, if we are able to prove that you were insured when the citation was issued, or if we can successfully contest a suspension as a result of an OWI charge. 

We know every possible way to minimize or block a suspension, and it all starts with a free consultation.

New Indiana Statue On Specialized Driving Privileges 

As we alluded to earlier, it may be possible to obtain a hardship license, or “Specialized Driving Privileges,” if you can prove that losing your license would cause extreme hardship. This stems from a 2015 statute that expanded hardship license appeals to a wider group of people who may previously not have been eligible to apply. 

If you need your car to do any of the following, then you may be eligible to apply for this kind of probationary license: 

• Driving to/from work
• Driving to medical appointments
• Driving to legal/court appointments
• Driving children to/from daycare 

As your hardship license attorney, we’ll explore every possible avenue to prevent you from losing your license or help you access an SDP license that maintains some of your driving privileges. We’ll build the strongest possible case by collecting all necessary evidence and representing you in a hearing.

Why Choose Stracci Law Group Lawyers To Reinstate Your License 

We know that your license is effectively a gateway to a normal life, and without it you may experience serious hardship. That’s what drives us to provide the most effective license reinstatement legal representation. 

We also: 

• Offer a free consultation
• Delve deep into your case to gather evidence and present the best defense
• Have a great local representation and history of success

Get Help From Our Skilled License Restoration Attorneys 

Experience means a lot when it comes to reinstating your license, and our Indiana license reinstatement lawyers have plenty of it. 

We understand the statutes, and we have successfully represented many other individuals facing the loss of their license. 

Stracci Law Group serves Northwest Indiana, offering free consultations over the phone. So call our lawyers today on 219-525-1000 to find out more, and we’ll get to work building the strongest possible case.