What Are Penalties for Driving with a Suspended License in New Jersey?

If you are arrested for driving with a suspended license in New Jersey, you may have questions about the consequences if you are convicted of driving with a suspended license — will the court extend your license suspension? Will you have to pay fines? Can you be sent to jail or prison? Are there legal defenses to a driving-while-suspended charge?

How Your Driver’s License Can Be Suspended in New Jersey

Under New Jersey law, there are multiple reasons why a driver’s license may end up in suspended status, including:

• Accumulating 12 or more points on your driving record — points only come off your record at the rate of three points per year, assuming you haven’t incurred any new points in the last 12 months; it may also be possible to remove points from your record by completing qualified driving courses
• Abandoning a motor vehicle on a public roadway
• Being at fault for a fatal motor vehicle accident
• DUI
• Criminally reckless driving
• Failure to appear in court
• Failure to pay court fines or surcharges
• Failure to pay child support or alimony
• Driving with a suspended license
• Being disqualified from driving due to a mental or physical conditions

Penalties for Driving with a Suspended License

If you are convicted of driving with a suspended license in New Jersey, you may be facing severe consequences, depending on the circumstances of your case. The penalties for a conviction of driving with a suspended license are:

• First offense: $500 fine, plus an extension to your period of license suspension of up to six months
• Second offense: $750 fine, plus detention in county jail for up to five days, plus an extension to your license suspension of up to six months
• Third or subsequent offense: $1000 fine, plus detention in county jail for up to 10 days, plus an extension on your license suspension for up to six months

In addition, if you are convicted of driving with a suspended license, you will have to pay an annual surcharge of $250 for three years once you have your driving privileges reinstated.

How an Attorney Can Help You with Suspended License Charges

If you have been charged with driving with a suspended license in New Jersey, it is critical that you speak to an experienced attorney to help you face your charges. In many driving-while-suspended cases, the driver’s license has been suspended because he or she has failed to appear in court or has failed to pay court-ordered surcharges or fines; in these cases the driver may not even be aware that his or her license has been suspended. When your license is suspended due to a delinquency on fees or fines owed, an attorney may be able to help you avoid the consequences of a driving-while-suspended conviction by working with the prosecutor and the court to get you current on your fines/fees/surcharges owed and negotiating for a reduction of your charges that won’t result in continued suspension of your license, or even dismissal of your charges altogether.

Contact an Experienced Hazlet Criminal Defense Lawyer About Your Suspended License Charges in New Jersey

Were you arrested or charged with driving with a suspended license in New Jersey? The consequences of a conviction could be severe, leaving you with a permanent criminal record and possibly even sending you to jail. That is why you need to speak with a qualified criminal defense attorney as soon as possible about your case. The attorneys at Rudnick, Addonizio, Pappa & Casazza PC have successfully represented clients charged with driving with a suspended license in Old Bridge, Piscataway, New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, and throughout New Jersey. Call (732) 264-4400 or fill out the online contact form to schedule a consultation with a member of our legal team. We have an office conveniently located at 25 Village Ct., Hazlet, NJ 07730, as well as offices located in East Brunswick.

The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.