Speeding ticket in another state could cost you license in NC
A Durham man had his license suspended, missed a hearing to appeal and was hit with late fees; all before he was told any of it was happening.
Posted — UpdatedGolf fans may recognize the name Shane Ryan. He authored the New York Times Bestseller ‘Slaying the Tiger’ and writes for Golf Digest.
One of his recent write-ups on Twitter wasn’t about golf. It was about a speeding ticket he got in New York last summer.
“I take full accountability for it," said Ryan, who was going 19 miles per hour over the speed limit.
He didn’t fight the ticket in court.
"I thought, no big deal. I’m a good safe driver, usually. So I’ll pay this off. And that’ll be that," he said.
In North Carolina, a conviction for driving more than 15 mph over the limit, anywhere in the country, is an automatic 30-day suspension of your license.
It’s the same thing for a conviction going over 80mph in a 70mph zone. Ryan didn’t know that, until he got a letter from the DMV in the mail.
“I was shocked," he said. "And all I’ve done is get a speeding ticket out of state.”
The second shock came when he looked closely at the dates.
He had until February 11 to request the hearing or to appeal it.
Ryan was also being fined $50 for not turning in his license by February 11. Worse, without knowing it, he had been driving on a suspended license for three days because the letter didn’t arrive on time.
What is causing this issue?
The DMV acknowledges the problem. Officials told 5 On Your Side there are two big reasons this is happening:
- Mail delays
- The short window to respond to these suspensions
As soon as ‘North Carolina’ is notified of a conviction, which can sometimes take months, the countdown to a suspension starts. Right now that countdown lasts 10 days.
An effort late last year to extend the window to 30 days failed in the legislature, but the DMV is pushing for it again.
They also say they’re working with the Postal Service to get these letters out faster.
However, until there is change, Ryan worries about the consequences of these late suspension notices for others.
"I have to think that if I had been stopped for something, it would have been very hard to explain to a police officer," he said.
What should you do if you are in this situation?
If this happens to you, you have to act immediately.
- Save the letter and the envelope it came in.
- Take a picture of it
- Contact the DMV
DMV officials told WRAL News that if your notice arrives after the suspension takes effect, sending them those details is enough to waive any late fees and set up a hearing.
You can call the Commissioners Hotline at 919-615-7000 to get that process started.
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