The day you officially become licensed to drive in the state of Massachusetts is one you won’t soon forget. Most kids dream of the day when they will be able to legally take the wheel, as acquiring a driver’s license grants you a degree of freedom you never had as a kid. While you may have gotten your license before you technically became an adult, the ability to drive is certainly a huge step on your way toward leaving childhood behind.
Unfortunately, not everyone who is issued a driver’s license will wind up keeping that license in good standing for the rest of their adult life. There are a number of different issues which can come up along the way that will endanger the status of your license. To avoid needing to turn to a hardship license in Massachusetts, it is important to follow the rules that come along with the use of a driver’s license. Let’s take a look at some of the basics with regard to keeping yourself legally on the road for years to come.
An Accumulation of Offenses
One of the biggest mistakes made by drivers in the state of Massachusetts – and other states, for that matter – is believing that their minor traffic offenses don’t matter much. Of course, speeding tickets are the big one here, but there are other common violations which drivers tend to minimize, as well.
To be fair, a single speeding ticket probably isn’t a big deal. You will need to pay the fine associated with the ticket, and you can move on. Unless you were driving at an extremely high rate of speed, dealing with a speeding ticket is not going to alter your driving future in any meaningful way. But here’s the thing -that ticket can become more and more important if you keep racking up more of them in the future. If you fail to pay attention to your speed and continue to get stopped on a regular basis, the accumulation of those tickets can cause trouble with regard to the status of your driver’s license.
If you have a habit of committing what you consider to be minor traffic offenses on a somewhat regular basis, you may want to think carefully about the way you are handling yourself out on the roads. Those minor offenses are not too damaging when they are rare, but they can mean big trouble if they become a pattern and they can cause your insurance premium to raise dramatically. Work on obeying the rules of the road and you will not only be a better driver overall, but you will also make it more likely that you’ll be able to keep your license for the long run.
Driving Under the Influence
This is a big one, obviously. If you drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol even just one time, you will be taking on a huge risk. First and foremost, you will be risking the health of yourself and those around you on the road. It is incredibly dangerous to drive under the influence, and there is no excuse for making this mistake. Simply put, don’t do it.
If you do drive under the influence and you are caught – either because you are pulled over, or because you get into an accident – the status of your driver’s license will very much be in peril. Not only will you be at risk of losing your license, you may not be able to get it back any time soon. You may be left to hope for a hardship license in Massachusetts, and there is certainly no guarantee that you will be awarded such a license. So, driving while under the influence is not only a bad idea because of the inherent dangers for yourself and others, it is also a real possibility that you will lose your license as a result.
At-Fault Accident
Another possible way to wind up without a driver’s license is to be at-fault in an accident. Of course, being found at-fault in a single accident will not necessarily cause you to lose your license, but it won’t be a good thing for your driving history. It may be a combination of an at-fault accident and other violations that lead to your loss of driving privileges, or it may be that your actions leading to the accident were rather egregious.
These surchargeable accidents can cause your automobile insurance bill to increase dramatically and they count towards 7 surchargeable event suspensions. Fortunately, you can appeal surcharges to the Division of Insurance Board of Appeal and after a hearing if you are found not to me more than 50% at fault, the surcharge will be reversed and any additional monies paid to your insurance company will be refunded.
In the end, keeping your driver’s license is actually quite simple. Follow the rules of the road, pay attention, and respect other drivers. If you can behave yourself properly while driving on the roads of Massachusetts and beyond, there is a good chance you’ll be able to steer clear of trouble. Rather than needing to turn to a hardship license in Massachusetts to get on the roads, you can maintain your full driving privileges and keep your life on track.