If you have been convicted for driving under the influence, you may have to surrender the license plates of all of the vehicles registered under your name. In Georgia, a person who received a second DUI conviction within five years of the first conviction is required to relinquish all of his license plates. If your family had shared vehicles, they will all lose the ability to drive your car, and this can make it more difficult for your spouse and children to get to school or work.
In these circumstances, it is possible to apply for a special license plate for your family. This can only happen after you have already surrendered your license plate, so your family members will be unable to drive for at least a few days.
The state of Georgia has specific requirements that you must meet in order to qualify for a hardship license plate. For example, your family members must be completely dependent on the car for their daily needs. If your family owns other vehicles that are not registered under your name, it is possible that the request will not be granted.
To be eligible, you must also prove that your family members have driver’s licenses and live at the same address as you. The Georgia Department of Driver Services will check its driver’s license records to determine if this is the case.
To get this license for your family, you will have to go to your local tag office and bring all of the required materials. The Department of Driver Services has a special application form for hardship licenses, and you must complete this beforehand and bring it with you.
You must also bring proof that you surrendered your license plate, so remember to hold on to the receipt that you receive from the court when you give them your license plate. You will also need to provide proof of insurance as well as the name, date of birth, and driver’s license number of the person who will be driving the car with the hardship license plate. The application process typically takes three to five days.
If this process seems overly complicated, or if you are worried about the days in between when your family will not be able to drive the vehicle, there is an alternative. Instead of applying for a hardship license, you can switch the vehicle registration from your name to the name of someone else in your family.
If you do this, you will not have to surrender the license plate after a DUI conviction. In addition, if you are worried about your DUI case, you can change the registration before the trial even begins. This way, your family will have no disruptions in their driving ability, regardless of the outcome of the case.
The only disadvantage to changing the registration is that on some vehicles it isn’t possible. If you are still paying your auto loans or if you are driving a leased vehicle, you will likely not be able to change the name on the vehicle registration.
If you were recently charged with a Georgia DUI, you should contact a lawyer immediately. Hardship license plates can help your family after a conviction, but an experienced DUI attorney can help you avoid that conviction altogether. Our attorneys at Thomas, Webb and Willis, LLC have the expertise to fight for your rights and defend you against DUI charges. If you’ve been convicted on a DUI in Georgia, go ahead and call 404-250-1113 to get a free consultation arranged.
Many people arrested for DUI feel as though they have already been pronounced guilty of a crime. If you have been charged with DUI, you should speak with expert DUI attorney Thomas J. Thomas.
750 Hammond Dr. Building 10 Suite 200
Atlanta, GA 30328
