The driving privilege
Driving is a privilege, not a right. State law allows or requires an individual’s driving privilege to be suspended for certain motor vehicle violations, which means the driver license will be taken away and the motorist may not drive for a stated period of time. In addition to license suspension, fines and imprisonment may also be imposed for moving violations. The length of suspension time depends on the law that is broken and how many convictions a motorist receives. Likewise, license restoration depends on the types of offenses and the number of convictions. A habitual offender is a motorist whose driver license has been suspended three times in three years. To avoid any problems, it is important to know and obey New Jersey’s traffic laws, which are in place to protect every motorist.
Some suspensions are decided on a case-by-case basis. If the sentence is not mandatory, the Chief Administrator of the MVC or the courts may suspend driving privileges. Reasons for loss of driving privileges may include, but is not limited to the following reasons:- Failure to appear in court or to pay fines
- Failure to pay motor vehicle surcharges
- Driving while suspended
- Failure to provide proof of insurance
- Physical or mental disqualification
- Drug or alcohol use
- Traffic law violations
- At fault in a fatal accident
- Failure to respond to an MVC notice
The MVC Chief Administrator may also require a re-examination of any person considered to be a problem driver. This re-examination will help to determine whether driving privileges should be suspended.
