The Massachusetts Immediate Threat Law gives the Registry of Motor Vehicles broad and expansive powers to indefinitely and immediately suspend driver’s licenses. These indefinite suspensions are usually triggered by an immediate threat complaint which is filed by a police officer. In some cases, Registry Hearing Officers have initiated indefinite immediate threat revocations on their own, without police complaints.
There are two types of indefinite immediate threat suspensions in Massachusetts. First, whenever a person commits an automobile law violation which causes the Registry to believe that the person’s continued operation would constitute an immediate threat to public safety, the RMV can immediately revoke the person’s license. Second, whenever the Registry has a reason to believe that a person is not competent to hold a driver’s license or is driving improperly, the Mass. RMV can suspend or revoke that person’s license.
The most effective and efficient way to get reinstated from an indefinite immediate threat revocation is to hire a lawyer and appeal the revocation. I have found that it is a usually a complete waste of time to deal with Registry Hearing Officers in these cases. Often, the Hearing Officers keep “moving the goal posts” by requiring the customer to attend repeated hearings and by finding fault with the documents and forms which the customer provides. Also, the Registry will not consider reinstating if there are any pending charges resulting from the incident which triggered the suspension.
You can avoid this time-consuming and frustrating “back and forth” with the Registry by hiring a lawyer to appeal the revocation and get your license reinstated. This usually involves a single hearing where the Registry’s lawyer presents its case and your lawyer will present you case. A decision is made and that decision is binding upon the Registry. If you obtain a favorable decision, you will get a written finding and order which requires Registry to terminate the immediate threat revocation and allow you to reinstate your revoked license.
I have successfully fought hundreds of immediate threat license suspensions and I have consistently obtained license reinstatement orders for my clients.