Suspended Driving / Traffic Offenses

Having a car and driver’s license has moved in our society from a luxury to a necessity. People who live outside of cities but work inside them need a way to get to work.

Driving with a revoked or suspended license is a crime in Pittsburgh, as it is all throughout Pennsylvania. If you are caught driving with a suspended license, you will require the services of a well-trained and experienced Pittsburgh criminal defense attorney.

There are two different driving while suspended charges in Pennsylvania: the usual driving with a suspended license, code "1543(a)," offense, and the more severe, code "1543(b)," offense that is a DUI related driving with a suspended license. The codes referred to, “1543(a)” and “1543(b),” are found in the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code and are specific to driving under suspension. A Pittsburgh DUI lawyer can help you understand their details.

The "(a)" offense in Pennsylvania is a summary offense, which means it is minor. Sometimes, summary offenses are referred to as “non-traffic citations.” A 1543(a) summary offense comes with a $200 mandatory fine and a license suspension of one year.

The courts cannot convict you of driving while suspended unless they can prove the following three things: (1) you were operating your motor vehicle on a highway, surface street, or other “trafficway” within the state of Pennsylvania; (2) you have an unrestored suspended or revoked license, and (3) you received an actual notice that your license was suspended or revoked. This last requirement often makes it difficult for the government to prove a driving while suspended case. Proof that they mailed the notice to you is not enough to show that you knew, and since you don’t have to get on the stand and give testimony, the prosecutor will have difficulty providing evidence to say you did.

If you are charged with driving while suspended, and never knew your license was suspended, call Pittsburgh Criminal Defense Attorney Sean Logue at (412) 389-0805 or 1-844-PITT-DUI. He and his associates might be able to get your charges dismissed based on this issue.

A driving while suspended (DUI related) charge comes with harsh penalties.

In Pennsylvania, the penalties for a person’s first DUI offense are a $500 fine and a mandatory jail sentence of 60 to 90 days. If you have a blood alcohol content (BAC) of more than .02% while driving on a DUI suspension, you may be fined $1000 and receive a mandatory 90-day jail sentence. There is also an additional license suspension of 1 to 2 years.

A conviction for a speeding ticket or other type of traffic violation is no easy matter. It can result in points being assessed on your driver’s license, and you being required to pay fines and court costs. Your insurance premiums might go up, and your license might be suspended. This last is dependent upon your driving record and the number of citations you have received in the past. So, it is extremely important to get in touch with a traffic ticket lawyer in Pittsburgh before it’s too late. The sooner you hire a lawyer to represent you, the easier it will be to dispute your charges and reduce or eliminate your penalties.

You need an attorney to examine your case and see if he can reduce or eliminate the penalties listed. Pittsburgh Criminal Defense Attorney Sean Logue and his associates at Logue Law Group are efficient traffic ticket lawyers and have represented people in traffic court in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.

The attorneys at Logue Law Group are highly trained in all aspects of traffic and DUI law, including the use of breath analysis machines, blood and urine testing, DUI checkpoints, and the ins and outs of arrests.

Contact the office of Pittsburgh Criminal Defense Attorney Sean Logue at 844.PITT.DUI or 844.PITT.DUI, or contact him online here, to discuss how you can fight driving while suspended charges or traffic tickets, and hopefully avoid mandatory incarceration and fines.