What is dwls 3rd degree

There are three degrees of Driving on a suspended license. DWLS in the first degree is often the charge for a habitual traffic offender. There is a mandatory jail sentence for DWLS 1st degree of 10 days in jail on a first conviction. A second conviction of DWLS 1st degree carries a mandatory sentence of 90 days in jails. A third conviction for a DWLS 1st degree mandates a day jail sentence. Upon the first such conviction, the person shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than ten days.

Upon the second conviction, the person shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than ninety days. Upon the third or subsequent conviction, the person shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one hundred eighty days. If the person is also convicted of the offense defined in RCW The minimum sentence of confinement required shall not be suspended or deferred. A conviction under this subsection does not prevent a person from petitioning for reinstatement as provided by RCW For the purposes of this subsection, a person is not considered to be eligible to reinstate his or her driver's license or driving privilege if the person is eligible to obtain an ignition interlock driver's license but did not obtain such a license.

This subsection applies when a person's driver's license or driving privilege has been suspended or revoked by reason of:. The best thing you can do if you are stopped for DWLS 3rd is get your license back immediately. If you cannot afford to pay off your traffic tickets, some counties have relicensing programs where they will pull your tickets out of collections and allow you to do work crew or make payments in order to satisfy the monetary obligations.

However, some prosecutors are not so generous and will insist on taking Washington suspended license cases to trial and even ask for jail time.

An experienced attorney should be able to help you navigate this process. However, jail time is a possibility, especially if you have a poor driving record. A conviction for DWLS 2nd does carry an additional year license suspension beyond the Washington license suspension you are already serving. The only way to avoid the suspension is to 1 have your license back at the time of the sentencing and 2 the judge recommend against re-suspension.

Most people end up with a DWLS 2nd charge as a result of a prior criminal case. If your license is suspended because of a DUI, reckless driving, hit and run, or felony driving crimes, then your license is suspended in the 2nd degree. In certain cases, you may be eligible for a restricted license that will allow you to drive during your Washington license suspension.

But if you drive without the restricted license and are caught, you will most certainly be charged with DWLS 2nd. In addition, a DWLS 2nd charge is very likely to be a violation of your probationary conditions. If you find yourself in this situation, you absolutely need the help of an attorney to help avoid any additional Washington license suspension and possible mandatory jail time on the probation violation.

DWLS 1st is much less common, but the consequences are significant.