From home and work to social commitments and appointments, we depend on our vehicles to get us where we need to go throughout our daily lives. If your license is suspended, you'll likely feel the effects of being without transportation, and the temptation to drive anyway may be great. Driving with a suspended license, however, can lead to severe penalties that far outweigh the initial suspension. Below, High Point, NC, traffic ticket lawyer Thomas W. Smothers, Attorney at Law, discusses three things to do if you're discovered driving with a suspended license.

3 Things to Do If You're Caught Driving With a Suspended License

1. Understand the Charges

In North Carolina, you can be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor for driving on a revoked license. Penalties could include heavy fines, jail time, further license suspension, or a combination of these. If you are arrested during your stop, ask the officer what you're being charged with so you can be prepared for the consequences and begin to devise a defense strategy, if necessary.

2. Contact a Defense Attorney

Your best course of action is to contact a defense attorney or traffic ticket lawyer, a legal professional who deals with traffic-related crimes and misdemeanors. If you are arrested, you are required by law to be allowed to make phone calls. Make one of these calls to a traffic ticket lawyer, and you can begin weighing your options and learning the best subsequent steps to take.

3. Find Out If Your Vehicle Will Be Seized

In some driving-while-suspended situations, law enforcement might seize and impound your vehicle. Be sure to ask an officer if your car will be impounded, and, if so, find out where and how you can go about retrieving it when the time comes. Your vehicle is your property, and you have a right to be informed of its location and the process you need to take to get it out.

Contact Thomas W. Smothers, Attorney at Law, online to schedule a consultation with a criminal law traffic ticket lawyer. You can also reach his firm by calling (336) 885-1240 or by visiting their Facebook or Twitter pages. Driving on a suspended license is a serious offense; be sure you have the support and guidance of a trusted lawyer on your side.