Suspended license? You may be eligble for free help

CHARLOTTE — Chad Randall admits he was driving drunk in 2009. He said he ended up having to have an interlock system in his car.

You have to breathe into it before your car starts. He says he passed test after test. But then, in 2023, the DMV says he failed one.

Randall claims it was a false positive, which may sound like an excuse, but Action 9 has covered concerns about that before.

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Either way, the DMV says it notified him he had 30 days to request a hearing. He says he didn’t know, so he acknowledges he missed the deadline and kept driving.

“I got pulled over by the Highway Patrol. Didn’t know what for. He came to the car. And he said, ‘You know why I pulled you over?’ I said, ‘No, sir.’ He said, ‘Your license is suspended,’ he said.

The DMV reinstated his license about a year later. It’s valid now. But he says his insurance took a big hit because of the suspension. So he really wishes he had fought it. “Real big shock when my insurance jumped to $2,000 every six months,” he said. “Very frustrating. Very expensive.”

Many North Carolina residents have suspended licenses. According to a Duke University study a few years ago, one in seven driving-age residents was in this situation, and that was just for non-driving reasons alone, like Failure to Comply and Failure to Appear. That didn’t include actual moving violations.

So Action 9 attorney Jason Stoogenke offers a few takeaways here:

It’s so important to check your mail.
If the DMV says it’s suspending your license, make sure you request a hearing.
If you’re past that point and you’re trying to restore your license, you may be eligible for free help. The NC Pro Bono Resource Center will review your driving record and find out why the DMV suspended your license. Then, a lawyer will send you a letter explaining how to get your license back. Please note that the letter can take two to three months to process. Go to https://ncfairchance.org/ and click on “Request a driver’s license restoration advice letter.”

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