CRIMINAL TRAFFIC OFFENSES

Florida law defines a series of crimes involving vehicles, roadways, and driver’s licenses as “Criminal Traffic Offenses.”  While the potential punishment for a criminal traffic offense is sometimes less severe than a misdemeanor, other criminal traffic offenses, like leaving the scene of an accident with death, require a minimum mandatory prison sentence upon conviction.  Whether accused of the former, the latter, or anything in between, it is important to hire an attorney who is familiar with the nuances of criminal traffic law to protect your rights, your liberty, and your driving privilege.

All criminal traffic offenses carry with them a slew of possible consequences that can impact a person’s driving privilege, and many can ultimately result in a felony charge or conviction.  One example is Driving While License Suspended or Revoked, or D.W.L.S.R.   Florida Statute § 322.34 defines the offense of DWLSR: while a first DWLSR is either a moving violation, like a traffic ticket, or a second-degree misdemeanor, the penalties for successive DWLSR convictions rise sharply.  A third or successive DWLSR conviction can be a felony, and a person convicted of felony DWLSR must be sentenced to at least 10 days in jail.

At the Michael Hines Law Firm, we represent clients in Criminal Traffic Offense cases that range from:

  • Reckless Driving

  • Driving While License Suspended

  • Driving with a Revoked License

  • Vehicular Homicide

  • Vehicular Manslaughter

  • Leaving the Scene / Hit and Run

HABITUAL TRAFFIC OFFENDER

Criminal Traffic Offense convictions can also have a significant negative impact on a person’s ability to drive with a valid license.  In Florida, three or more convictions for D.U.I. or D.W.L.S.R. within a five-year period will result in that person’s designation as a Habitual Traffic Offender, under Florida Statute § 322.264.  Being designated a Habitual Traffic Offender results in a five year driver’s license revocation by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and a person who drives while designated a Habitual Traffic Offender is guilty of a third degree felony.  Even D.W.L.S.R. without knowledge convictions, which are moving violation traffic tickets, like speeding, count towards a person’s Habitual Traffic Offender status.  For that reason, if you are accused of D.W.L.S.R. or any other criminal traffic offense, it is critical that you contact a lawyer immediately.