Massachusetts Registry News

My office has been inundated by inquiries regarding the case of Souza v. Registrar of Motor Vehicles. I am very familiar with this case, as I have been fighting the Registry on this issue for years and I wrote the amicus brief in the Souza case. In Souza, the SJC adopted the legal arguments which I raised […]

For years prior to December 10, 2009, the Board of Appeal had been ordering the Registry to reduce breathalyzer refusal suspensions which were increased based on the driver having a prior DUI which was resolved by an admission to sufficient facts and continuance without a finding (CWOF). The basis for reducing these license suspensions was

Changes may be on the horizon for those determined to be habitual traffic offenders in Massachusetts. Last August, Senator Bruce E. Tarr (R) of Gloucester filed Senate Bill 2012, “An Act Promoting Motor Vehicle Safety.” A more appropriate title would have been “An Act to Substantially increase Habitual Traffic Offender penalties in Massachusetts.” Senator Tarr

Sometimes, a person arrested for drunk driving in Massachusetts will refuse to submit to a chemical breath test unless he or she has an opportunity to speak with an attorney. A request by a police officer for a Massachusetts DUI suspect to take a breathalyzer does not trigger constitutional or statutory right to consult with

To avoid a “breath test refusal” license revocation in Massachusetts, those arrested for drunk driving must provide two long and continuous breath samples, so that the breathalyzer registers the air volume as sufficient and produces a BAC result. When the person taking the test provides an insufficient volume of breath, no alcohol reading will register.

There seems to be a major misconception regarding the privacy and confidentiality of driving records, including those containing convictions for DUI, drunk driving, operating on a revoked license, driver’s license fraud, immediate threat suspensions, and other incidents. The Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA), protects certain “personal information” such a driver’s social security number, age, height,

When applying for a driver’s license in Massachusetts, you must provide your social security number to the Mass. RMV. The Registry will not use your social security number as your license number or print it on your license. However, the RMV will cross reference the number provided with the Social Security Administration to insure that

For those seeking to become police officers, correctional officers, or firefighters, a clean driving record is imperative. This also holds true for truck drivers, those who drive CDL vehicles, and certain other government and private sector employees.  The Massachusetts Civil Service Commission has upheld employers’ decisions not to hire a candidate who scores well on

Mass. residents who are arrested for DUI in the State of Maine may be able to get back on the road with a hardship license, which is known as a work-restricted license in Maine.  These licenses are available so that people who have had their licenses or right to drive suspended due to a Maine