If your driver’s license is suspended or revoked here in Michigan, it can affect your life in many ways. It is very hard to keep a job, to run errands and buy groceries and to run a household. But what about traveling to other states? You certainly can’t drive around in Michigan if you’ve had your license revoked in Michigan, but does that also mean you can’t drive anywhere else either? Can you leave the state and drive to visit friends and loved ones in other states?
In most cases your driving record follows you wherever you go.
For most people living in the US, having your license suspended or revoked is something that will affect you wherever you go. Courtesy of the Interstate Driver’s License Compact (DLC), most states exchange information about driver license suspensions and traffic violations of non-residents, sending that information to the home state of that driver is licensed. The idea behind this exchange is known as “One Driver, One License, One Record.” In that case, the state where that driver lives would then treat that violation as if it had happened right there in their home state, applying home-state laws to that offense, even though it happened out of state. This means that a driver with an Iowa driver’s license that picks up a speeding ticket while driving through Indiana, would end up with that speeding ticket recorded on their Iowa driver’s license record.
But Michigan is not a member of the DLC!
Almost all 50 states are members of the DLC, but there are a few hold outs, which happens to include Michigan, along with Maine, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Tennessee. There is always a chance that if you get a suspension in one of these states your issues won’t follow you across state borders and make it harder to get a new driver’s license in another state. But just because Michigan isn’t a member of the Driver’s License Compact, doesn’t mean your poor driving choices in other states won’t come back to haunt you. If the Department of Motor Vehicles here in Michigan checks the National Driver Register and discovers that your license has been suspended or revoked, you won’t be able to get a license here either!
Michigan takes motor vehicle offenses seriously!
Michigan may not be a member of the DLC, but that doesn’t mean they don’t take motor vehicle offenses very seriously. Anyone accused of Drunk Driving, Leaving the Scene of an Accident, or reckless driving in Michigan is likely to lose their license. And that can make it very hard to keep a job, or take your kids to and from their school activities, or get your errands run in a timely fashion. And that’s where DeYoung Law can make all the difference to your future.