ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 traffic safety expert Trooper Steve Montiero answers viewer questions about the rules of the road every week, helping Orlando-area residents become better drivers by being better educated.
One viewer asked, “What should I know if when my license is suspended?”
According to Trooper Steve, your license can be suspended for multiple reasons.
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The most common include financial responsibility, failure to pay a court order, or failure to take care of a traffic violation within the allotted time.
When a driver’s license has been suspended there is a process a driver must complete in order to make their license valid again. Obviously, a driver would need to take care of whatever initial issue caused the suspension. Then a driver would have to go to the Clerk of the Courts office to clear the suspension placed on their license. Once that process is complete a driver would need to take all required paperwork to the DMV to have their license re-issued to them.
When it comes to having your driver’s license suspended for financial responsibility, sometimes a driver does not know. If a driver were to change their vehicle insurance to another vehicle insurance company without providing current insurance to either the State of Florida or the previous insure, a license can be suspended, and the driver, not know.
“When I say ‘not know’ the state will send a notification via the mail to inform someone that their license is subject to suspension. This sometimes goes overseen,” said Trooper Steve.
If a driver is stopped, and it is determined that a license is suspended, and the police officer determines the driver did not know that their license was suspended, the license will be confiscated and a traffic violation will be issued.
If you are driving on a suspended driver’s license and it can be proven that you are aware of the suspended license, a driver is subject to arrest at that point.
If you have a traffic question for Trooper Steve, submit it here.
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