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What does a hardship license do?

How does a hardship license work? My friend recently had a DUI, and I thought she could no longer drive now that her license is suspended. She was out the other day and said that the judge issued a hardship license instead. What does that mean?

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Shannon Martin · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
“If not being allowed to drive will be detrimental to a person’s livelihood, a hardship license will allow limited driving.
A hardship license can be issued when the original driver’s license has been suspended or revoked.
They can be issued with restrictions such as:
  • No night driving
  • Only driving to and from school
  • Only driving to and from work
  • Only driving to medically necessary treatments
  • Only driving during permitted hours of the day
If caught driving outside of the court-approved time frames, the hardship license is revoked and the length of time for the suspended license is extended.
It is possible that your friend had her standard
driver’s license suspended
and was issued a hardship license in its place.
It’s incredibly helpful to your friend to have the ability to drive, but this allowance often comes with a steep hike in her insurance rates. You might want to suggest to her that she use the
Jerry
app. Jerry compares insurance rates for free from the top providers. Jerry will even help your friend with the transfer paperwork so she can focus more on safe driving.”
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