Like other states, driving here in Colorado is not a right. The law considers your driver’s license a privilege. As such, every time you get behind the wheel of your vehicle, you are doing so at the leisure of the state. What does this mean for you?
If you engage in certain activities, both on and off the road, the state could take your license away for a predetermined amount of time. Knowing what actions could result in the suspension of your driver’s license could help you avoid them and, as a result, keep your driver’s license.
Circumstances where you could lose your license
You may find it surprising to know just how many ways the state could suspend your license. Most of them relate to your driving habits, but some do not. The most common reasons for a driver’s license suspension appear below:
- If you get far enough behind on your child support payments, one of the penalties for doing so is the loss of your license for a time.
- If a court convicts you of a drug-related offense, part of the penalties could include the suspension of your driver’s license.
- If you refuse to participate in chemical testing to determine your blood alcohol concentration under the state’s implied consent laws that you agreed to when you received your driver’s license, you could lose your license.
- If you accumulate a certain amount of points on your license within a certain amount of time, the state could suspend your license. You accumulate these points for traffic violations such as speeding, failure to yield the right of way and more.
- If a court convicts you of drunk driving, your sentence may come with a period of driver’s license suspension.
- If you drive carelessly or recklessly, leave the scene of an accident or give in to road rage, you could lose your license for some time.
- If you race another vehicle, it could result in a suspension of your driver’s license.
- If you fail to appear in court or pay your traffic citation, along with any other fees and costs associated with it, you could discover you can’t legally drive.
- If you use a fake driver’s license or license plates on your vehicle, you could lose your license.
Juveniles could also lose their driver’s licenses for truancy, delinquency or other non-drug or alcohol related offenses. As you can see, a variety of circumstances could lead to a suspended driver’s license. If you receive a notice from the state of the intent to take away your license, it would be to your benefit to immediately take steps to determine whether the suspension could be avoided since not being able to drive could have detrimental effects on your life.