Should young drivers seek a Guilford County traffic lawyer for traffic violations? Yes! There are many hurdles young drivers must go through in order to obtain their permanent driver’s license and receiving a traffic violation could be a substantial set-back in that process. Young drivers who receive a traffic violation are often treated with a greater level of scrutiny than average traffic violation offenders, so you should not hesitate to contact a criminal defense attorney to make sure you understand the nature and consequences of your traffic offense.
To obtain a license before the age of 18, you must possess a learner’s permit for 12 months. Additionally, you cannot have certain violations within the preceding six months. These violations include moving violations, seatbelt violations, or cell-phone use violations. You must also pass a road test and have a valid high school diploma, GED, or driving eligibility certificate. Lastly, you must complete 60 hours of driving, and 10 of the hours must have been completed at night. When all of these requirements are met, you can then receive a limited provisional license. Under this license, the restrictions include unsupervised driving between 5am and 9pm, and there may only be one non-household member under the age of 21 in the vehicle. A violation of the time restriction is a Class 3 misdemeanor, while the passenger violation is considered an infraction.
There is no suspension of the license for the first moving violation, but if there is a second violation within the 12 months of the first violation, there may be a 30-day suspension. If there is a third violation within 12 months of the first violation, there may be a 90-day suspension of the license. Lastly, if there is a fourth violation within 12 months of the first violation there may be a six-month suspension until you can receive a full provisional license.
Therefore, these violations can be a substantial set-back when trying to obtain a full provisional drivers license. So, young drivers should not hesitate to contact a Guilford County defense attorney to understand all options they may have if they are charged with one of these violations. The Greensboro traffic attorneys at Garrett, Walker, Aycoth and Olson know the requirements of the law and also genuinely care about each and every case presented by their clients. Call at 336-379-0539 today; we are here to help!