Loss of Driver’s License in Maryland

Avoid this Harsh DUI Penalty

The consequences that come along with a Maryland DUI conviction are numerous, but one of the more immediate consequences is the potential loss of your driving privileges. Without a license, you can no longer drive yourself to and from work, transport dependents, or even run errands whenever you need to.

A DUI conviction will force you to make major changes in your everyday life – changes that will surely have far-reaching effects ranging from employment to income issues. Fight to avoid these life-changing consequences consulting with the Maryland DUI defense attorneys at Alpert Schreyer, LLC. We have over 30 years of experience defending clients for the harsh penalty of license suspension or revocation.

Visit any of our five offices in Lanham, Frederick, Lexington Park, Prince Frederick, Waldorf, & Rockville for a free consultation. Call 301-321-7277.

How to Save Your License

For many, losing driving privileges is not an option. Give yourself an advantage by working with the experienced DUI defense attorneys at Alpert Schreyer.

First: Retain an attorney to strategize a best course of action.

Find a representative who has ample experience dealing with DUI and DWI cases and a track record of success. Your Maryland DWI defense attorney should provide ample references from satisfied clients and be affiliated with organizations that focus on the representation of drivers accused of drunk driving.

Second: Seek out a hearing (before 10 days have elapsed after your arrest) to challenge the suspension of your license.

If you wait too long to ask for this hearing, you may not be able to stop the suspension.

Third: You and your attorney should investigate whether or not your stop, sobriety tests, and subsequent arrest were conducted according to proper procedure.

If your rights under the law were violated, if your Constitutional protections were in any way denied, or if the officer failed to follow rigorous rules of process, you might be able to win your case.

Fourth: Be on the lookout for any errors and omissions in the state’s case against you at the hearing, assuming it goes forward.

If a witness (such as your arresting officer) makes a misstatement of fact or other error, seek redress. Remember that if convicted, you may get 12 points on your record and have to pay a large fine and/or serve up to a year in prison for DUI. Often the penalties are greater if you have prior DUI convictions or probation before judgment (PBJ) dispositions.

Further Details & Special Cases

In the state of Maryland, the length of the suspension of one’s license depends on a wide assortment of factors but is ultimately dependent on whether or not you agreed to provide a breath sample and have any prior convictions of DUI.

Administrative penalties for those who agree to submit to breath testing can include suspension and/or revocation of license/privilege to drive for a minimum of 180 days for a first offense. A second or subsequent offense will increase the minimum suspension time and could result in a license suspension and/or revocation of at least 180 days for a BAC between .08 and .14, or 270 days if your BAC was .15 or above.

Individuals who refuse to submit to chemical testing face sentence enhancements including 270 days to two years of license suspension and mandatory installation of an ignition interlock device for one to three years.

If you are a CDL driver convicted of a DUI in Maryland, you could lose your CDL license even if you are not driving a commercial vehicle at the time of your arrest.

Also of note is that motorists who are convicted of drunk driving but are not of legal drinking age may have difficulty reclaiming their full, unrestricted licenses in the future.