Recently in DUI - Suspended License Category

When a Los Angeles DUI Defense Attorney represents someone facing a drunk driving charge, they have to take more than just the law into consideration.  Psychology, sociology, politics, driving habits and other factors all play a role in any DUI defense.

For example, people are Driving on a Suspended License throughout Los Angeles, which is leading to all sorts of problems.  State officials are estimating that more than 180,000 Californians have had their licenses taken away due to drunk driving, and now 70,000 are Driving on a Suspended License.  California is beginning to crack down on such drivers, and the Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor program is designed to find these drivers and penalize them for their illegal activity.

Officials are looking to pilot programs such as the use of ignition interlock devices to help break repeat drunken drivers from their habits.  However, trying to "solve" the problem of people Driving on a Suspended License in Los Angeles is far more difficult.  As any Los Angeles DUI Defense Attorney will tell you, people have to get to work, pick up their kids and perform other duties regardless of the law.  However, some people are facing serious consequences due to their drunk driving convictions, and Driving on a Suspended License is a dangerous activity.  About 5,000 warrants were on file for people facing DUI charges in Ventura County alone last year.  Los Angeles officials, and others, say they frequently catch people driving with licenses suspended due to a DUI conviction.

In Los Angeles and in the rest of the state, judges can order repeat drunk driving offenders to install ignition interlock devices. An estimated 20 percent of people convicted of a DUI are ordered to get those devices installed.  A new pilot program in Los Angeles however will make devices mandatory for all first time DUI offenders.

The Los Angeles DUI Defense Attorneys at Kestenbaum Eisner & Gorin know that even a minor DUI can impact such important things as buying a house or getting a job.  If you or someone you love was charged with Driving on a Suspended License, contact the lawyers at our firm by calling 877-781-1570 today.

Many of the misdemeanor cases in Los Angeles are comprised of citations for driving on a suspended license. For driving on a suspended license, an offender can serve up to six months in jail, and repeat offenders can serve more than a year in jail. In addition to these punishments, you can face fines, having your car impounded, being on probation, and more. And chances are, you will still be unable to drive.

In April of this year, Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and his two friends were killed in an accident involving a driver who was driving on a suspended license. Andrew Gallo was not only driving on a suspended license, he was on probation, and had been ticketed for two previous traffic violations. While driving in Los Angeles on a suspended license, Gallo ended the lives of the three young people. Area lawmakers are currently reviewing new programs that would make it more difficult to drive on a suspended license, and particularly to protect the public from repeat offenders.

Gallo was charged with three counts of murder, driving under the influence and causing bodily injury, driving with a blood alcohol level above 0.08% and causing bodily injury, and fleeing the scene. Gallo faces a maximum prison sentence of 54 years and eight months to life. Gallo is scheduled to be arraigned June 8.

If you are currently driving in Los Angeles, your privilege to drive can be revoked if you are convicted of a DUI, if you get too many moving violations, if you have an outstanding warrant, if you fail to appear at court when you have promised in writing to be there, or for many other reasons. Driving without a valid driver's license is treated seriously by Los Angeles courts.

In order to prove that you were driving on a suspended license, your prosecution must prove that you knowingly drove while your license was suspended.

You may remember when Coolio was arrested last year in Los Angeles for driving on a suspended license. He was pulled over for having an expired registration, but it was discovered that he also had an outstanding warrant and an expired license. Paris Hilton was also allegedly caught driving on a suspended license. These cases were noted by the press because of celebrities' involvement. If you have been charged with driving on a suspended license, you need to protect yourself from the negative attention and publicity that can accompany the charges. Make the call that will protect your future! Contact our nationally-recognized Los Angeles DUI attorneys by phone 877-781-1570 or email.