Driving without a license

birdie

birdie

Bluelighter
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May 31, 2007
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My sister was pulled over two weeks ago for a minor traffic violation. I believe she was also charged for driving without a licenses. At the time she was 17 (she's 18 now) and is supposed to go to court in September. I was wondering, what is the penalty for driving without a license in Georgia?
 
If you mean driving without a license as in "Left my purse at home" it;s no big deal, she can go to court and prove she was a licensed driver. The all she has to worry about is the speeding ticket.

If you mean driving without a license as in license suspended, revoked, etc, that is a different matter altogether. Driving without a license is a serious offense, one of the few motor vehicle violations that can get you jail time. Georgia is considering legislation to make it a felony, so the GA courts already take it very seriously.

If that is what she's charged with, given her age (minor), the speeding violation and no license, she *really* needs an attorney.

http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2007_08/fulltext/sb15.htm
 
Last edited:
birdie said:
My sister was pulled over two weeks ago for a minor traffic violation. I believe she was also charged for driving without a licenses. At the time she was 17 (she's 18 now) and is supposed to go to court in September. I was wondering, what is the penalty for driving without a license in Georgia?
Click to expand...

Had her license been suspended? If yes,...

§ 40-9-8. Operating vehicle during suspension of driver's license or operating privilege
Any person whose driver's license or nonresident's operating privilege has been suspended under this chapter and who, during such suspension, drives any motor vehicle upon any highway, except where permitted under this chapter, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than five days nor more than six months and there may be imposed in addition thereto a fine of not more than $500.00.

OR

did she never have a license in the first place...

§ 40-5-20. License required; surrender of prior licenses; local licenses prohibited (a) No person, except those expressly exempted in this chapter, shall drive any motor vehicle upon a highway in this state unless such person has a valid driver's license...

OR

did she "have" a driver's license but just not have it with her in the car while she was driving?



http://w3.lexis-nexis.com/hottopics/gacode/default.asp
 
She never had a licenses to begin with, nor was she allowed to get one until she turned 18 due to missing too many days of schools her sophomore or junior year.

retired_chemist, it wasn't a speeding violation. I can't recall exactly what the violation was, but I think she drove over into the other lane a bit when turning into a neighborhood.
 
This may seem obvious, but I would definately suggest that she get a lawyer... they can do amazing things for simple traffic violations like the above, even if she was driving without a license.
 
Does she have a permit at least ? I got pulled over for no license a while ago and just got a $150 dollar ticket that if I'd payed it on time wouldn't have ended up costing me $300. So, yeah.
 
Her privilege to get a license was deferred for missing too much school. She was a minor driving unlicensed despite that and got charged with a moving violation. It's not a simple traffic ticket.

A judge is going to see that as a pattern of irresponsible behavior.

Taking the charges seriously enough to show up with an attorney is a step in the right direction. Not taking the charges seriously enough to just show up without an attorney is a good way to not only demonstrate the same pattern continuing, but to really piss off the judge.

It's a serious charge. She needs a lawyer. Period.
 
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