A suspended license can be the result of unpaid tickets, excessive points against your license or the result of a court ordered suspension for a criminal conviction. Losing your driving privileges can be a huge inconvenience. Getting caught driving on a suspended license can cause even more problems. Depending on the reason for the suspension, you may be able to take steps to clear up your suspended license and reinstate your driving privileges.
Step 1
Obtain an official copy of your driver history. State procedures will vary for obtaining an official copy, but in all cases you should start by contacting the agency responsible for issuing a drivers license to inquire how to obtain the report.
Step 2
Determine the reason for the suspension. The most common reasons for a suspended drivers license include failure to pay tickets or appear for traffic court, too many points accumulated on your record or a court-ordered suspension.
Step 3
Pay any unpaid fines or court costs. If you have overlooked a ticket or court date for a ticket, paying the fine will often release the suspension.
Step 4
Check into state approved defensive driver or driver improvement courses. Most states allow a licensee to take a short course that will remove a number of points from your driver history. If the reason for your suspension was an accumulation of too many points then taking a course may reduce your total points to a number that is acceptable and therefore release the suspension.
Step 5
Contact an attorney or research your state laws if the suspension was pursuant to a court order. Often, a court will suspend your license for failure to pay child support or as the result of a criminal conviction. Some states will allow you to petition for a hardship license that allows you to drive to work and other necessary appointments. You may need to obtain the services of an attorney to complete the process.
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Writer Bio
Renee Booker has been writing professionally since 2009 and was a practicing attorney for almost 10 years. She has had work published on Gadling, AOL's travel site. Booker holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Ohio State University and a Juris Doctorate from Indiana University School of Law.