Court-ordered suspensions: failing to appear, driving while suspended

Explanation

Indiana courts can order the BMV to suspend a driver’s privileges for certain traffic violations. One common trigger: skipping a required court appearance for a citation, or not paying a ticket once a judgment has been entered. That suspension can be stayed by having your insurance provider electronically file an SR22 and keeping it in force for the whole suspension period.

Driving while your license is suspended is treated as a serious traffic violation on its own — and if you’ve been caught driving suspended before, doing it again can escalate to a misdemeanor or felony conviction on your record.

Example

A driver misses a court date for a speeding ticket. The court notifies the BMV, and their driving privileges are suspended — but their insurer files an SR22 and keeps it active, staying the suspension until the matter is resolved.

Common mistake

Assuming a first-time suspended-driving stop is treated the same as a repeat one. The manual specifically calls out that driving while suspended with a prior offense can escalate to a misdemeanor or felony conviction.

What the manual says

Indiana law provides courts with the authority to order the BMV to suspend an individual’s driving privileges under certain circumstances, including when he or she is found to have committed certain traffic violations.

Failing to appear before a court of law in response to a citation issued by a law enforcement officer, or not paying tickets after a judgment has been entered, may lead to the suspension of your driving privileges.

Driving while suspended is a serious traffic violation. Driving while suspended with a prior offense can result in a misdemeanor or felony conviction on your driving record.