If Your License Is Suspended, Is It Possible to Apply for Limited Driving Privileges?

Interviewer: Can you help people get a license if they need to drive to work or need to take their children to school or the doctors?

In Connecticut, You Can Apply for a Work or School Permit that Has Limited Driving Privileges

Steve Tomeo: Yeah, there is a special permit to drive to and from work or during the course of your employment. There’s a special permit so that people can drive to and from school, but you have to qualify for these special permits. By qualifying I mean that you can’t have more than two moving violations or be under suspension.

You Will Not Qualify for the Permits If You Have More than Two Previous Moving Violations or a Prior Alcohol-Related Offense

You can’t have more than two moving violations and if you’ve had a prior alcohol-related suspension you do not qualify. If a person is a first-time offender he generally can get a work permit and a school permit. It allows him to drive to and from work and in the course of his employment. If he has a CDL license then he’s got a problem and if his license is suspended he won’t be able to drive a commercial vehicle.

In Connecticut, There Is a 30-Day Jail Sentence for Being Caught Driving While Your License Is under Suspension

Interviewer: Do you find that many of your clients try to drive anyway while their licenses are under suspension and they get caught?

Steve Tomeo: I wouldn’t say we have a lot of clients, but I do say there are a good number of people that drive under suspension and in Connecticut that offense carries a severe penalty. Its 30 days in jail. It’s a tough penalty and if you’re caught driving without your work permit or you do not have a work permit its 30 days in jail. A lot of judges strictly enforce that; some judges will take mitigating circumstances to reduce the penalty. There’s also a corresponding loss. There’s another year’s loss of license plus a stiff fine.

Is Driving While under a Suspension a Defensible Offense?

Interviewer: Is there any way to defend this you know you have someone that’s under suspension and they drive?

Steve Tomeo: It’s pretty difficult but some judges will take into consideration if for instance they were driving to work or from work. Of course, if it was an emergency situation they’ll take that into consideration. Some judges will listen to mitigating factors and others won’t. If you take responsibility for your action that might help some judges consider mitigating factors. Other judges will listen, but 100% of the time they won’t give you any consideration for those factors.