6. Losing a Driver’s License

As you have learned, people can lose their driver’s license through a suspension or revocation for many reasons. Perhaps the most common reason for loss of license that you will see is Failure to Pay Forfeiture.

For many people, this is a compounding problem. People with a suspended license due to an inability to pay forfeitures may still drive out of necessity–to get to and from work and to take care of their children. If someone is pulled over when they are driving on a suspended or revoked license, they will likely receive additional tickets for Operating While Suspended or Operating After Revocation, adding additional costs to the existing forfeitures.

Moreover, a person can lose eligibility to obtain a driver’s license in the first place. For instance, a person can have a suspension or a revocation before they even have a license. This occurs when a person drives without a license and accrues tickets and ultimately a suspension. In this situation, the individual must work through the Department of Motor Vehicles to obtain a driver’s license after any barriers have been addressed. The DMV will require the person to take a written test, road test, and pay fees associated with obtaining a driver’s license.

When you work with clients through LIFT Dane’s Driver’s License Clinic, you will be provided with an abstract from the DOT that outlines the reasons a person has lost their driving privileges and what barriers stand in the way to reinstatement. We’ll be talking more about barriers and driver’s abstracts soon. Click on the Reference Sheet to find out more about the codes used on the abstracts, what they mean, and how to resolve them.