What to Do When Your Driver's License is Revoked?
When a person's Illinois driver's license is revoked, many people are eligible for a Restricted Driving Permit before being eligible for full reinstatement, and many people who are eligible for full reinstatement will be required by the Illinois Secretary of State to have a Restricted Driving Permit before being granted full reinstatement of their driving privileges.
What is a Restricted Driving Permit?
Commonly referred to simply as being a "Driving Permit" or a "Hardship Permit," a Restricted Driving Permit is truly that: restricted. A person can only get a permit to go to work, school, routine medical appointments, or to take their kids to school or daycare. Problems frequently arise for people due to the limitations of driving permits.
For example, people often are unable to obtain or maintain their employment after having their driver's licenses revoked. This creates problems for people, especially those who live in rural areas where public transportation is lacking or nonexistent. Many people with whom we speak would like to obtain a permit in order to look for employment, but, sadly, Illinois law does not have a permit that allows someone to seek employment. That said, the vast majority of people who are technically unemployed, whether due to lacking a driver's license or not, do something to earn money, and these tasks, regardless of how frequently performed, can serve as a basis for a driving permit, which, in turn, frequently turns into regular work.
Many people with whom we speak work different jobs, and these jobs often come with varying shift times. A lot of people contact us worried that they cannot obtain a Restricted Driving Permit for work due to their changing hours. The truth is anything but. A Restricted Driving Permit can be issued for varying shifts, overtime as required, and any number of instances in which a person might drive at unusual times or be required to drive at different times or days of the week.
Amending a Restricted Driving Permit
After a person has obtained a Restricted Driving Permit, problems can come up. For example, a person could obtain a Restricted Driving Permit for a job with regular hours that don't change, only to wind up being promoted or changing jobs and working different days of the week or different hours. In these instances, Restricted Driving Permits can be amended. Amending them is a fairly easy process. What is not easy is how long a person has to wait for a response. In order to change a Restricted Driving Permit, a person need only contact an Informal Hearing Officer, but getting a response with a new permit can take weeks. During this time, a person is not allowed to drive until he or she receives the new permit.
How to Get a RDP in Illinois
The attorneys at Johnson Law Group help people get Restricted Driving Permits all of the time, and help people routinely get full reinstatement of their driving privileges. There are lots of nuances and complexities that can make doing so difficult.
With the right help, anyone can get a Restricted Driving Permit, and we are available to help anyone who is revoked. Contact us today!
Copyright © 2017 by Brendan Bukalski
The information provided in this article is general in nature, and should not be relied upon as legal advice or interpreted as creating an attorney-client relationship . As a general rule, all specific legal problems should be handled by an individual's attorney. All rights reserved. Any copying, duplication, or commercial use of the information contained in this column is strictly prohibited without prior permission.