New DUI driver's license revocation coming July 1, 2011
Effective July 1, 2011, your driver's license will be revoked if you refuse to submit to a breathalyzer test after an accident involving personal injury or death to another person. This is a big change from the current law. Currently, your license is only suspended if you refused testing in this situation. A
suspension and a
revocation are totally different penalties. With a suspension, you lose your driving privileges only temporarily. The length of time of the suspension depends your DUI history. With a suspension, after the time period is up, you get your license back after paying reinstatement fees. With a revocation, you lose your driver's license and you can't get it back just by paying a fee. After a revocation, the only way to get your license back is by petitioning for it to the Secretary of State. Ask someone who has been through that process and you will find out that it isn't easy. Some people never get their driving privileges restored after a revocation for a DUI.
Keep in mind that this law only applies to accidents involving death or serious bodily injury to another person. So far, the law hasn't changed with a DUI arrest that doesn't follow an accident.
Bottom line, under the new law, it will be possible to permanently lose your driver's license if you refuse to submit to a breathalyzer or other chemical tests, even if you are ultimately found not guilty of DUI.