Pursuant to the Massachusetts Immediate Threat Law, the Registry of Motor Vehicles revoked the license of Thomas Larivee, the 19 year old driver of a vehicle involved in a fatal accident that claimed the life of 15 year old Alessandra Castner of Marblehead on August 24th. The RMV took prompt and decisive action to revoke Larivee’s driver’s license in spite of allegations that Larivee would receive lenient treatment because of alleged family connections.
In a prepared statement, Larivee’s lawyer claimed that the Registry’s actions “are without legal basis and will be dealt with accordingly.”
Larivee’s Massachusetts driving record contained a surchargable accident and a JOL Speeding Violation, which required Larivee to complete the NSC Alive at 25 and the State Courts Against Road Rage SCARR programs. His license was suspended for 90 days as a result of the JOL Speeding citation.
The Registry revoked Larivee’s license under the immediate threat law. This law allows the Mass. RMV to revoke someone’s license when the driver has committed a violation of motor vehicle laws, the nature of which would lead the Registry to be believe that allowing the person to continue to drive would constitute an immediate threat to public safety. The Registry of Motor Vehicles has a longstanding practice of immediately revoking licenses as a result of fatal motor vehicle accidents and it processes approximately 75 immediate threat suspensions each week. Individuals who have had their license revoked under the immediate threat law are allowed to have a Registry of Motor Vehicles hearing within 10 days of the license revocation. They can also appeal the suspensions to the Massachusetts Board of Appeal.