Our Los Angeles DUI Lawyers stress that so-called “medical suspensions” are not inevitable.
The California DMV will restrict, suspend, or revoke your driver’s license if it believes that you suffer from a physical or medical condition that affects your ability to drive safely. Such conditions include dementia, epilepsy, and seizures, which are commonly recognized as dangerous. Less obvious examples include cataracts, macular degeneration, and particular forms of diabetes.
Bottom line: the DMV may take action based on any condition or disorder that might affect your physical coordination, strength, agility, alertness, judgment, attention, or any other skill that is essential to safe driving.
If the DMV believes that you have one of these conditions, it will restrict, suspend, or revoke your driver’s license… unless, however, you request a hearing to contest that action within ten days. DMV hearings for medical conditions are alternately known as “physical and mental evaluations,” “reexaminations,” and “P&M hearings.”
As a part of such a hearing, you will likely undergo a written test, a vision test, and a driving “performance” test. Following that, you and/or your attorney will conduct a discussion of the issues and whether they merit suspension/revocation of your license with a DMV “hearing officer.”
The specific allegations giving rise to DMV hearings for medical conditions will vary. Therefore, the methods of preserving a particular person’s driver’s license will vary. Suffice it to say, our Los Angeles DUI Lawyers have successfully counseled many people through this process in a variety of circumstances. Voluntary driver “re-training” and alternative medical opinions can be especially beneficial.
The point is: a suspension action by the DMV may be reactionary and unwarranted. We urge you to consider that your driving privileges are not “done for.” Rather, consult with an experienced attorney who can explain how to preserve them.