Motor Vehicle Crimes

Losing a driver’s license is more than a minor inconvenience to most people. The ability to drive is critical to many aspects of life. Our lawyers at Raipher, P.C. advocate for drivers throughout New England and beyond in administrative drivers license proceedings. We also defend people against criminal charges that can result the loss of your driver’s license.

In some cases, people do not know that their license has been suspended or revoked until they attempt to get a license in
another state. We help driver’s resolve the issues with their old license so they can drive in their new location. In
Massachusetts and most other states, your license can be suspended for violations and infractions such as:

• Vehicular manslaughter
• Three speeding tickets within one year
• Five accidents or moving violations within three years
• Seven accidents or moving violations within three years
• Being an habitual traffic offender, having three major moving violations or twelve major and minor violations within five years
• Suspension in another state
• Driving without a license or while your license is suspended or revoked
• Failure to pay excise tax
• Failure to pay child support
• Altering or faking a license
• Conviction for drunk driving
• Failing to take a breath test when arrested for drunk driving
• Drug possession and driving under the influence of drugs
• Penalties for infractions and violations

Criminal and civil infractions such as these can result in suspension or revocation of your license for years, jail time and
significant fines. The way the punishments and penalties are applied varies according to the number of previous infractions or
convictions and the state where your license was issued. The Registry of Motor Vehicles in Massachusetts tracks civil and
criminal infractions as well as accidents in which you are more than 50% at fault, making infractions and violations
cumulative. This is similar in other states as well.

With the advent of Melanie’s law, the penalties increase if you are arrested for drunk driving while already suspended for a
prior conviction. That is why it is so important to have your initial drunk driving charge reduced or dismissed. That first
conviction can affect your ability to drive, even if the incident occurred many years ago. Penalties under Melanie’s law for
infractions such as this and others can include significant prison time and fines. Additionally, your car can be seized by the
District Attorney, and you can lose the title to your car.

Contact an attorney right away
It is important to have experienced representation from the beginning of your case. Many of these matters move through the
system quickly. The rules and penalties seem complicated, especially if you have never experienced a problem with your license
before. Contact an experienced lawyer right away to guide you through the system.