In Georgia, a “habitual violator” (HV) is someone who has violated the Georgia Driver’s License Act by committing three serious traffic offenses within a five-year period.
Once you’ve been labelled a habitual violator, you can generally expect to lose your driver’s license for five years — unless you are granted select driving privileges via an HV limited permit.
5 reasons you’re allowed to drive with an HV permit
The best way to avoid a serious mistake with a restricted license is to fully understand the limitations you’re under. With a habitual violator’s permit, you may only drive in the following situations:
- You are going to or from your place of employment or driving as a part of your normal job duties (such as making a delivery).
- You need to visit a doctor, clinic or hospital to receive medical care or go to a pharmacy to pick up your prescriptions.
- You are driving to or from a school or university in which you are enrolled as a student.
- You are attending regularly scheduled support meetings for drug addiction or alcohol problems (held by organizations that are officially sanctioned).
- You are attending driver education classes or a treatment program for drug or alcohol addiction as ordered by the court at the time your license was revoked or otherwise officially sanctioned.
If you violate these rules and get caught, you could end up losing your HV permit for the remainder of the five-year license suspension you were already given, among other potential penalties — and that could be a real disaster.
If you make a mistake and drive outside of the narrow scope permitted via your HV permit, make sure that you have experienced legal guidance moving forward.