• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Guardian Interlock

Guardian Ignition Interlock

The Original Ignition Interlock System

  • Locations
  • Our Device
    • Ignition Interlock Program
    • Ignition Interlock Device Information
  • Support
    • FAQ
    • Training Videos
    • Contact Us
  • State Laws
  • About Us
    • Reviews
    • Become a Provider
    • Partners
      • DUI Attorneys
      • Recovery Counselors
      • Monitoring Authorities
      • Road Safety Resources
  • 800-499-0994

Oklahoma Court: Throw Out DUI Driver’s License Suspensions

You are here: Home / General Information / Oklahoma Court: Throw Out DUI Driver’s License Suspensions
September 23, 2016 by Matt Talley
DUI Oklahoma driver’s license suspensions

DUI Oklahoma driver's license suspensionLaw enforcement are out on the road cracking down on drunk drivers every day, but once they stop an offender, take his or her blood alcohol concentration (BAC) via blood, urine, or breathalyzer, and book the individual, processing that offender’s driving under the influence (DUI) conviction moves onto other agencies.

DUI penalties like driver’s license suspensions are decided when the offender appears in court, but what happens if that individual doesn’t appear in court in a timely fashion? That’s what’s happening in Oklahoma right now, and the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals has ruled that because the Department of Public Safety didn’t schedule over twenty DUI cases, those driver’s license suspensions should be dismissed.

The Department of Public safety stated that one of the main reasons why there is a delay in processing driver’s license suspensions is because there’s such a backlog. Some hearings have been delayed up to nineteen months, and it generally takes twelve months from the time the request for a hearing is made until the individual is seen.

How does this affect the drunk driving offender? Turns out, they might get to keep driving. Although that driver will have been given notice that he or she will lose their driver’s license, that suspension doesn’t kick in for thirty days after the notice of suspension. If the driver requests an administrative hearing within fifteen days of receiving the notice, he or she can keep driving until their hearing date. If that hearing doesn’t happen for a year, that driver is free and clear to get behind the wheel for that time period.

Although this court decision isn’t going to have any bearing on whether these offenders receive a DUI conviction, it could result in a lot of other Oklahoma driver’s license suspensions being thrown out.

One of the obvious solutions to this problem is to follow the lead of a state like Texas. In Texas you can obtain an ignition interlock immediately following your arrest. You don’t have to attend a hearing and you can keep driving normally just as long as you drive with your ignition interlock and you are sober.

With Oklahoma only requiring ignition interlocks for first offenders with a BAC over .15, it might be something state lawmakers want to look into. It gives offenders an immediate way to keep driving, eliminates the loophole of requesting an administrative hearing and putting off driver’s license suspensions, and clearing the backlog of court cases could help the Department of Public Safety focus on other issues.

Category: General InformationTag: Drunk Driving, Oklahoma

About Matt Talley

Previous Post: « dwi penalties Everything Is Negotiable In Texas, Even DWI Penalties
Next Post: MMA Fighter Makes Plea To Stop Drunk Driving After Crash Kills Son drunk driving crash »

24/7 Bilingual Customer Service

Call now on 800-499-0994 and we’ll help you get back on the road

Call Now
Guardian Interlock Logo
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Call Toll-Free

800-499-0994

Partners

DUI Attorneys

Recovery Counselors

Monitoring Authorities

Need Help?

Support

FAQ

Contact Us

© Copyright 2022 Guardian Interlock, LLC

Privacy Policy | Terms of Use