Florida law is stringent regarding underage driving. That includes driving yourself to school or work. You can only drive with a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old and occupies the front passenger seat at all times. Driving with a suspended license in Florida is a criminal offense. Depending on the reasons for the suspension and whether you have had prior charges of driving with a suspended license, the charge may be either a misdemeanor or a felony.
According to the Florida DHSMV, citations stay on your record for 10 years, suspensions 7 to 11 years, alcohol-related violations for 75 years, and serious CDL violations 55 years. California Traffic School. Real Estate. Texas Real Estate Pre-License. Real Estate Continuing Education. See All CE Courses. Why Aceable? Contact Us. Our Blog. Driving in Florida Without a License Unlicensed drivers have become an increasing problem in the state of Florida, and law enforcement has been cracking down.
Keep in mind that if this happens you are technically arrested and released at the scene. If it happens again the charge will be bumped up to a first degree misdemeanor. Driving during this period is considered a third degree felony. Anyone who drives with a suspended, canceled or revoked license and causes an injury will be charged with a third degree felony. On top of all that, the arresting officer will most likely impound the vehicle. In other states, you may have to apply to your DMV to have the suspension lifted.
There can be factors that lessen the severity of driving on a suspended license and one of these is whether or not you knew you were driving on a suspended license. There are a few different reasons you could be hitting the streets with a suspended license and not know it, but in most cases, it's due to unpaid traffic tickets.
If you forget to send in the payment for a speeding ticket, your license may end up suspended and the next time you are pulled over, you could be in for a surprise, and possibly some handcuffs. It should be noted that every state law is different in how it deals with driving on a suspended or revoked license and while Florida may give you the benefit of the doubt that you were unaware of the suspended status of your license, not every state will extend that courtesy.
On the other hand, if you know your license is suspended and decide to drive anyway, the penalties become exponentially steeper. Again, this only applies to Florida. This is the more serious of the two infractions.
It means that your license has been canceled and after you meet any requirements or time frames imposed, you will need to reapply for an entirely new license. A revocation of a license is usually due to a serious infraction, such as a DUI. Your suspension time will absolutely be increased and in almost every state jail time is also on the table -- the odds of serving time will vary by state laws and the seriousness of your offense.
In almost every state, driving with a suspended or revoked license is a misdemeanor for a first offense. When you are a repeat offender with a second or third offense, you may be looking at a felony and will almost certainly be spending some time behind bars. A judge can also order additional requirements on a case-by-case basis," says Hunt. Operating a motor vehicle with a suspended, revoked or expired license may be tempting, but it is a huge and ultimately very expensive mistake.
While you may think you won't get caught, technology is making it easier for the police to determine the status of your license. In most cases, your license has been suspended or revoked because of a major driving offense, for example, DUI or reckless driving.
Adding driving with a revoked license will only increase your time without a license and will possibly land you in the clink. In addition to the fines for driving without a valid license, you can expect your insurance rates to increase. Driving with a suspended or revoked license is severely frowned upon by insurers, as they deem it high-risk behavior, so expect your rates to climb.
If your license is suspended or revoked for a long time think six months to a year or more it will only increase your insurance pain. Unless you are in the mood for a financial nightmare, never let an unlicensed driver get behind the wheel of your car.
In almost all cases, car insurance follows the car, not the driver. That means if your unlicensed friend or family member is in an accident with your car, it will be your insurance policy that is on the hook.
Unfortunately, since an unlicensed driver was behind the wheel, your insurance company is on solid legal ground to deny your claim, making you solely responsible for the cost of repairing or replacing your car. If your friend was responsible for the accident, you could be picking up the tab for the other person's car, their medical bills and a legal defense if the other driver decides to sue you. In addition, you may receive a ticket, even if you aren't in the car at the time.
You can expect a dramatic increase in your insurance costs and there is a good chance your insurance company will simply cancel your policy, which can make finding a new policy challenging, and expensive.
As a final kick in the pants, many states will impound a vehicle if an unlicensed driver is behind the wheel after a traffic stop or accident. Afterward, you will be paying the various fees handed down by law enforcement and the motor vehicle department to get your car out of the doghouse.
It turns out that there is a good reason to keep unlicensed drivers off the road. They are much more dangerous than licensed drivers. According to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, one in five fatal car crashes involves a driver who doesn't have a license or whose license status is unknown to law enforcement. According to their data, 6.
When you add it all up it turns out that These accidents killed 21, people. Once you make the leap to driving with a suspended license there is a good chance you will end up a repeat offender. The NHTSA data also looked at which states have the most fatal accidents with invalidly licensed drivers behind the wheel. The top five shook out as follows:. On the other side of the coin, these states had the fewest fatal accidents related to unlicensed drivers:.
If your license is suspended, there may be a way to get back on the road with a hardship license. A hardship license is issued when your normal driver's license has been revoked or suspended. It allows you to drive, but only under certain circumstances and for approved reasons, mainly to get back and forth to work. In Illinois, for example, drivers must send a written request to the Secretary of State, attend a hearing, and also complete any required courses or counseling.
Florida requires taking and passing a hour traffic school. Technically, it is absolutely a valid license, but it comes with a wide variety of restrictions. Once you have been approved for a hardship or restricted driving permit RDP , as they call it in Illinois, you are legal to drive, but there are many restrictions. In most cases, you can only drive to approved locations, usually work, daycare or school and a few stores for errands. Many states assign a nighttime curfew.
You will be required to show proof of car insurance before a restricted license is issued, says CarInsurance. If a DUI is involved, most states also require an SR from your insurer, verifying your insurance coverage.
If you drop your coverage, the DMV is notified, and your restricted license revoked. You will pay much higher car insurance rates because of the offense that triggered the suspension and the SR filing.
In some states there is a mandatory waiting period before a DUI offender can apply for a hardship license, typically days. Many states limit hardship licenses to first-time DUI offenders, and other states, like New Jersey and Rhode Island, don't offer a hardship program at all.
Getting caught driving after hours or for unapproved reasons will result in your hardship license being revoked. You may not even get a second chance, depending on the state laws. When it comes to your insurance premium, a hardship license will often push up your rates, but it usually depends on why your license was suspended in the first place.
An administrative suspension -- one stemming from an unpaid traffic ticket or back child support -- is typically seen as a minor offense and will not have a huge effect on rates, Gusner says. If the underlying cause of the suspension is a DUI, your rates usually go up dramatically, if you can find a company to insure you at all. Gusner warns that premiums will usually shoot up from 30 to percent.
In North Carolina, the increase could top percent.
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