As of the end of September, 2012, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles has new regulations pertaining to drivers with multiple alcohol/drug-related driving convictions. This is a logical result from the increasing sanctions that pertain to Driving While Intoxicated or Driving While Impaired by Drugs offenses enacted by the Legislature.
These new regulations define a “persistently dangerous driver” as one who has had five or more alcohol/drug-related driving offenses or convictions in their lifetime or a motorist who in the last twenty-five years has had three or four alcohol/drug-related driving convictions plus one “serious driving offense”. Motorists with the “persistently dangerous driver” finding are to be permanently denied re-licensure, however, that permanent disqualification may not occur to the extent that the motorist demonstrates “compelling or extenuating circumstances”.
The regulations provide that if a current revocation for an alcohol-related offense involves a motorist with three or four similar prior convictions and without any serious driving offense in the last twenty-five years the denial of re-licensure shall be a period of five years in addition to whatever the statutory revocation period was for the current offense and with any subsequent re-licensure resulting in a restricted use license, as well as the requirement to install an ignition interlock device for a five year period.
To the extent that the current conviction is for a non-alcohol-related offense but results in some form of a revocation penalty, the Department of Motor Vehicles will deny re-licensure for two years in addition to whatever the statutory revocation period was for that particular offense and then re-license with a restricted use license for a period of two years, however, the ignition interlock device would not be required in that circumstance because the latest conviction would not have been alcohol-related.
Lastly, motorists that have two or more alcohol/drug-related driving convictions within the prior preceding twenty-five years are required to serve their entire suspension or revocation period even to the extent that they have completed the Drinker Driver Program.
The Department of Motor Vehicle already had an internal system for governing the timing of re-licensure in the event of revocations and these new regulations simply increase and strengthen those which have already existed.
The difference between a suspension and a revocation is that the suspension allows for the license to be returned following a relative short period of time whereas a revocation is akin to the license being destroyed such that the motorist is then required to reapply to the Department of Motor Vehicles to request that a new license be issued. Despite how important the ability to drive is in our society, the ability to maintain a driver’s license is a privilege as opposed to a right.
As a result, this is simply another example of why all should be very careful when operating their motor vehicles after consuming alcohol or drugs.