What happens to my license if I am convicted of multiple DUI’s?
The State of New York takes alcohol and drug related driving offenses seriously. According to the New York Department of Motor Vehicles, there are a few factors that will be taken into consideration when deciding the fate of your driver’s license should you incur multiple DUI violations.
In general, it will depend on if your violations all occurred within the same 25-year period and if your license being revoked was for commission of a serious driving offense. Examples of a serious driving offense include:
- A penal law conviction stemming from a driving incident
- Accumulating more than 20 points against your license
- Being involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident
- Being convicted of at least two five-point value violations
If you are convicted of two or more DUI’s in a 25-year period, you will be required to complete a rehabilitation program and wait the entire length of your revocation or suspension period before applying for a new license. If you have three or four convictions in a 25-year period, your driver’s license may be permanently revoked, although any extenuating circumstances may be taken into consideration.
If the reason your license was revoked was for a DUI but no serious driving offense was committed, three or four drug or alcohol-related convictions will result in your being denied a license for five years after the revocation period ends and even after that, you will have a restricted license for another five-year period. You may also be required to install an ignition interlock device in your vehicle. If those same circumstances exist but the reason for your license revocation was not alcohol or drug related, you will have to wait two years following your revocation before applying for a new license, with a conditional license being in effect for two years following that.
If you receive five DUI convictions over the course of your lifetime, you will likely be permanently denied driving privileges unless you can prove there is a compelling reason why you should be allowed to get behind the wheel.