Your South Carolina driver’s license could be suspended or revoked for a number of offenses—from collecting too many violation points to serious DUI violations. Driving with a suspended South Carolina license is a serious offense that can result in additional suspensions, expensive fines, and even possible imprisonment.
The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles can revoke or
Top 10 reasons for driver’s license suspension in South Carolina
South Carolina does not play around—the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV) can suspend your driving privileges for an array of different offenses.
1. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
, your license can be suspended, although you may have the option of continuing to drive with a restricted driver’s license.
For a first offense, you can also count on a jail sentence of 48 hours to 30 days and a $400 fine.
If your BAC is over 0.15%, your license will automatically be suspended for at least one month.
Drivers under 21 with a BAC over 0.02% will also face an automatic suspension.
First-time offenders are eligible to do community service instead of serving jail time, and every DUI conviction requires you to enroll in an Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program.
2. Refusing a chemical or breath test
South Carolina’s “implied consent” law requires all drivers lawfully arrested for a DUI to submit to a breath, blood, or urine test. If you refuse, your license will be suspended for six months for a first offense.
3. Driving with a suspended license
Driving with a suspended driver’s license will earn you an additional suspension. The court can decide to make the second suspension start when the first suspension ends or to make both suspensions occur simultaneously, depending on the severity of the original offense.
Additionally, if the suspension is not related to driving under the influence (DUI) or driving with an unlawful alcohol concentration (DUAC), a first offense carries a fine, imprisonment of up to 30 days or both.
if they operate a vehicle with willful or wanton disregard for the safety or property of others. For a first offense, you may receive a penalty of up to 30 days in jail.
If the death of another person results, you may face charges of reckless homicide with a maximum penalty of 10 years in South Carolina state prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
If you are charged with reckless driving three times in three years, your license will be suspended or revoked.
5. Failing to pay traffic tickets
Failing to pay outstanding traffic tickets will result in your license being suspended indefinitely.
6. Failing to pay child support
In South Carolina, once a parent has not paid required child support in 60 days, this automatically triggers the license suspension process. From here, the noncustodial parent has 45 days to enter a payment agreement.
If you fail to pay child support, other licenses such as business or professional licenses can also be affected.
7. Accumulating too many violation points
South Carolina operates on a points system, meaning drivers accumulate points on their driver record for every offense. If you accumulate 12 or more points, your license may be suspended for three to six months.
If you are under 17 years old, you could lose your driving privileges after accumulating more than four points on your driving record.
range from misdemeanors to felony charges. Your license will immediately be revoked, and if the accident results in someone suffering great bodily harm or death, your license will be rescinded.
9. Using a fake ID
In South Carolina, your license can be suspended if you use a fake driver’s license, use someone else’s license, or knowingly give your license to someone else for illegal use. For example, if you use a fake ID or someone else’s ID to prove your age in order to purchase alcohol, you could lose your license, in addition to facing fines and potential jail time.
10. Failing to maintain South Carolina car insurance
will result in your license being suspended indefinitely and you will also have to pay a reinstatement fee of $550. Failure to maintain SR-22 insurance (if applicable) will result in the immediate suspension of your license and a reinstatement fee of up to $400.
The words “suspension” and “revocation” are often thought to be synonymous when referring to losing driving privileges, but they actually mean two different things. Here’s what each term means:
A license suspension refers to a temporary loss of driving privileges for a specified period of time
A license revocation refers to a more serious loss of driving privileges, often requiring the driver to reapply for licensing
The SCDMV can suspend or revoke driver’s licenses for many offenses—from failure to pay child support to more serious offenses like a hit-and-run accident.
“My past tickets were making it hard to find affordable insurance. With
4.7/5 rating on the App Store | Trusted by 5+ million customers and 7 million cars
