Michigan residents rely on their vehicles for nearly everything: commuting to and from work, running simple errands, transporting children to school and other activities, responding to emergencies, and even traveling for vacation. The freedom that comes with a valid driver’s license is so closely connected with our basic needs that it feels like a right rather than a privilege.

When your license is suspended or revoked, it can feel like your livelihood has been threatened and you will need the help of an experienced driver’s license restoration attorney to get you back on the road.

Why Michigan Driving Privileges Can Be Suspended or Revoked

Since driving is a privilege, not a right, Michigan’s law and vehicle code outline a number of ways you can lose that privilege, including:

• Accumulating points for speeding and other traffic violations
• Reckless driving convictions
• Drunk driving (OWI) convictions
• Unpaid child support
• Refusing a Breathalyzer test (PBT)
• Using a vehicle during the commission of a felony
• Medical restrictions from an unfavorable physician’s statement

Depending on the reason, your driving privileges may either be suspended or revoked. These are legally distinct statuses, each requiring different steps to recover fully unrestricted driving privileges.

Shortening Your Driver’s License Suspension

A first-time drunk driving conviction, refusing a breathalyzer, and certain other offenses can result in a temporary or indefinite suspension of your driving privileges. If you believe your license was improperly suspended, you must request an administrative hearing within the first few days after the triggering event occurs. A driver’s license restoration attorney will help you properly submit your request and appear before the Secretary of State to help protect your driving privileges.

Some license suspensions are “hard” – meaning you will not be able to drive at all until the suspension is lifted and your license is reinstated. In other cases, you may be eligible for a restricted license after a set period of time. Usually these restrictions will allow you to drive to and from work, to medical appointments, to recovery meetings, or might limit your driving to certain times of the day. This of type of restriction may also require you to provide a breath sample through an interlock ignition device before and during driving.

At the Peter J. Johnson Law Office, our driver‘s license restoration attorneys will help you determine where you qualify for restricted privileges and build your case to get you back on the road, if only in a limited capacity for the time being.

Driver’s License Restoration after Privileges are Revoked

Repeat or more serious convictions can sometimes result in a mandatory revocation of your driving privileges. While suspensions expire and automatically reinstate your license after a certain period of time, revocations involve an application and hearing process to restore your driving privileges. The Driver Assessment and Appeal Division (DAAD) of the Secretary of State will review your application, and the hearing officer will take testimony from you and others, and decide whether you should be allowed to drive again.

If the hearing officer denies your application, you will have to wait a full year before you can apply again. You can also appeal to the circuit court if you believe your rights were violated by the hearing officer. Unfortunately, too many motorists take this process on themselves and wind up without a license for years.

At the Peter J. Johnson Law Office, our driver’s license restoration attorneys consistently handle dozens of license appeals. We know how to develop a strong application and how to prepare you for your appeal hearing. We will appear with you at your local Michigan Secretary of State branch and fight to restore your driving privileges.