If you are arrested for a DUI, the first thing you may worry about is how you will get to your job if your license gets suspended. A license suspension after a DUI arrest or upon a conviction for a DUI will mean no driving, period. However, for most first-time DUI offenders, you can apply for a limited driving permit, which will allow you to get to school or work, drive in the course of your job, and go to doctor's appointments or counseling sessions. Fighting a license suspension within 10 days of a DUI arrest may be the easiest way to keep your license, but if it's too late, a limited driving permit is better than nothing.
Work Permit Restricted License After a Georgia DUI
Not everyone can apply for a limited driving permit, even after a first-time DUI. Your Georgia driver's license can be suspended for up to a year if you refuse to submit to a chemical test after a DUI arrest. Because of the state's implied consent laws, you will not be allowed to have a limited driving permit, and will be restricted from driving at all for up to a year.
Getting a DUI while under the age of 21 will also mean no limited driving permit, and you will have to wait until your license suspension period ends before trying to get your license reinstated. Additionally, if you are caught driving on a suspended license, or are not abiding to the limitations of the limited driving permit, you may also lose your driving privileges.
For other who have been convicted of their first Georgia DUI within the last 5 years, they can apply for a Limited Driving Permit from the Department of Driver Services. This requires a $25 fee, and an affidavit from the court that this is your first DUI conviction (DDS form 1126, First DUI Conviction Affidavit). If DDS approves the limited driving permit, you will be allowed limited driving privilege.
A limited driving permit will allow you to drive: to and from work, during work in the course of your work duties, to and from school, to attend medical appointments, get prescriptions, go to DUI school and any substance abuse counseling sessions. You may also be limited where you can drive and when you can drive.
Georgia DUI Defense
Getting a DUI can be an overwhelming experience. You may not have realized that you only had 10 days to fight the automatic administrative license suspension, and the next thing you know, your license was suspended. Now you are trying to get your license back, in order to keep your job or stay in school. You can still get a limited driving permit. It may seem like a hassle, but it is better than getting arrested for driving on a suspended license.
If you or a loved one have been arrested for a DUI, make sure your license doesn't get automatically suspended without a fight. You only have 10 days to challenge the automatic license suspension, to request an ALS hearing to keep your license. Call me today, and I will file a 10-day hearing request, to challenge your ALS suspension, and criminal DUI charges.