Revocation despite acquittal: new summary suspension law takes effect July 1

Beginning July 1, drivers who are 1) arrested for DUI after 2) being in an accident that causes personal injury or death but 3) won't submit to a chemical test will have their driving privileges revoked. So Edward M. Maloney reports in the latest ISBA Traffic Laws & Courts newsletter. This is a big deal, Ed says. "Currently, if you are arrested for a DUI and there is a personal injury or death, upon a conviction for the DUI arrest, the Secretary of State has the authority to revoke your driving privileges." But, he emphasizes, you have to be convicted first. "As of July 1, 2011 this will no longer be the case," he writes. "People who are found not guilty of the reckless homicide or the DUI offense where there was an injury...will be punished anyway. The person’s license will be revoked for one year with no opportunity to obtain driving relief for the entire year." Read his article.