What consequences on failure to appear for suspended drivers license?

There are a variety of consequences that you might have to deal with for failure to appear in court when your driver's license has been suspended. These consequences will vary depending on:

• Where you live as the laws are different in each state.
• The reason why your drivers license was suspended in the first place.
• If this is the first time your license has been suspended.
• If this is the first time you have failed to appear in court.

In general, the consequences can include additional fines, additional time with license suspended, and jail time. If you receive a ticket and don't pay the fine by the deadline and you don't appear in court you could find yourself dealing with some or a combination of all of these consequences.

Different Laws

If you live in Maryland, it is not common but it is entirely possible that you can be confined to jail for up to 60 days and have to pay a $500 fine if you fail to appear in court for driving while suspended. In Connecticut, your license can remain suspended for an indefinite amount of time. In California, you have to pay the fine and a civil assessment before your license can be reinstated.

Ticketed in Another State

If you are ticketed in another state and either fail to appear for the court date in the other state or pay the fine, your state will be notified of your failure to appear and you will likely have your driver's license suspended. At that point, you will have a legal matter to clear up in two states before you can have your license reinstated.

Get Legal Help

Don't make a bad situation worse by failing to appear in court, but if you have already had that happen you should contact an experienced defense attorney immediately for assistance. Your attorney can answer your questions, and explain what needs to be done in order to get your license back and minimize the possibility of jail time if that appears likely.