Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles Changes OUI License Suspension Rules

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles recently decided to interpret the rules on license suspensions after an OUI (Operating Under the Influence) guilty finding or plea that includes a refusal to take a breath test. The length of time for a license suspension after a breathalyzer/breath test refusal is now run concurrent with a license loss period for the conviction.

For example, a first offense breath test refusal carries a 180 day license suspension penalty. Pleading guilty or continuation without a finding to a 1st offense OUI charge carries a statutory 45-90 day license loss. The Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) now runs those suspensions concurrent, meaning most people only have a 180 day loss of a driver's license. In the case of a second offense, the breath test refusal license suspension is for 1 year, and the 2nd offense OUI guilty determination calls for a license suspension of 2 years, so the total license loss would only be 2 years when run concurrent.

"This decision by the Registry of Motor Vehicles streamlines the license suspension process, and makes it fairer for everyone", noted Attorney Russell Matson, a Massachusetts DUI Lawyer. He went on to say "Previously, lawyers such as myself with great experience defending Massachusetts OUI cases would always ask a judge to agree and sign a motion to run the license losses concurrently. Now that step is unnecessary, and the process is fairer to people who didn't happen to hire a lawyer with the experience and knowledge of handling hundreds of DUI cases. "

For more information about legal issues with OUI / DUI / Drunk Driving Laws in Massachusetts, License Suspension Rules, or Registry of Motor Vehicle Hearings, contact MA DUI Lawyer Russell Matson at (781)964-4898, or refer to his web site, http://www.madrunkdrivingdefense.com.