Every driver who obtains a license must drive safely to keep it. If you break the traffic laws or become an unsafe driver, your license can be taken away. It can be suspended, revoked, or canceled.

A license can be suspended if : make a fraudulent driver license application; allow your license to be used for a purpose that is against the law; are convicted in a traffic court and the court orders that your license be suspended; refuse to take a test to show if you are driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs; misuse a restricted license; earn a certain number of points for traffic offenses on the point system; break a traffic law and fail to pay your fine or appear in court as directed; fail to pay child support; fail to carry insurance on your vehicle; fail to stop for a school bus; use tobacco if you are under age; commit retail theft; education Non-Compliance (School Dropout)

A license must be revoked if you are found guilty of or DMV records show: driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs or other controlled substances; Not stopping to give assistance when your vehicle in a crash causes death or personal injury; three (3) major offenses or 15 offenses for which you recieve points within a 5-year period

Fines are tripled when infractions occur within a school zone or construction zone.

Your license can be suspended for 30 days if you receive 12 points in one year

Drivers under the age of 18 who accumulate four or more points within a 12-month period will have their license restricted for one year to business driving only

A DUI conviction will remain on your driving record for 75 years.

Drinking alcohol impairs judgment,slows reflexes, distorts decision-making,and hinders coordination. You don’t have to be a problem drinker to have alcohol-related driving problems because alcohol tolerance decreases with age. If you drink, don’t drive.

Zero tolerance states that any driver under 21 years of age who refuses to take a breath analyzer test will automatically have their license suspended for one year.

Alcohol slows your reflexes and reaction time, reduces your ability to see clearly and makes you less alert. As the amount of alcohol in your body increases, your judgment worsens and your skills decrease. You will have trouble judging distances, speeds and the movement of 39 Official Florida Driver’s Handbook • 2014 other vehicles. You will also have trouble controlling your vehicle. If You Drink, Do Not Drive! The best advice is, if you drink alcohol, do not drive. Even one drink of alcohol can affect your driving. With two or more drinks in your bloodstream you are impaired and could be arrested.

Alcohol begins to be absorbed into the bloodstream within one to two minutes after an alcoholic beverage is consumed.

Reaction and coordination are impaired by alcohol consumption as low as .02 percent BAC. It takes longer to react. Coordination skills to control the car with hands, feet and eyes in response to other vehicles and the road are drastically reduced as alcohol intake increases.

Drinking three drinks in one hour will affect you more than drinking three drinks in three hours. Spacing the drinks over a longer period of time will slow the rate at which you become intoxicated and indicates responsible drinking habits.

If, despite your best intentions, you realize you have had too much to drink, consider using public transportation to get home. Taking a cab could be a lot cheaper than paying a fine or losing your driver license! Beyond taking a cab, you could:
• Offer the keys to a non-drinking friend;
• Stay overnight at the party giver’s home or a hotel
within walking distance;
• Call a parent or friend to pick you up and take you
home.

By law, you have given your consent to be tested to determine the alcohol or drug content of your blood. This test must be administered at the request of a law enforcement officer who has reasonable grounds to believe you have been driving under the influence of an intoxicant or drug.

Non-prescription drugs, such as cold tablets, cough syrups, allergy remedies, etc., purchased over-the-counter may contain antihistamines, alcohol, codeine and other compounds that can be especially dangerous for drivers.

Emotions can have an effect on driving safely. You may not be able to drive well if you are overly worried, excited, afraid, angry or depressed.

You can be put in jail or required to pay a fine for the following offenses: changing your license in any way; any changes must be made by DHSMV; unlawful use of your license including allowing your license to be used by another person; making a fraudulent application for a driver license or identification card; having more than one credential (U.S. driver license or identification card); allowing an unlicensed person to use your car, or renting a motor vehicle to someone without a license; giving false statements to an officer or in a courtroom; knowingly giving false information in crash reports; failing to make crash reports

In Florida, there are two motor vehicle insurance laws. They are the Financial Responsibility Law and the No-Fault law.

If you do not have the required insurance to comply with the Financial Responsibility Law, your driver license and/or license plates will be suspended for up to three years.

No-Fault Law states drivers must have insurance policies with a minimum of $10,000 for Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and $10,000 for Property Damage Liability (PDL.)

If you are in a traffic accident, it is your responsibility to stop, report the crash, move your car if it is blocking traffic

The driver and front seat passengers must wear seat belts.

Speeding is the number one violation drivers are convicted of

If you double the speed of a car, you increase its force of impact by 4 times

Who has the right-of-way? The answer is no one! The law only says who must yield (give up) the right-of-way. Every driver, motorcyclist, moped rider, bicyclist and pedestrian must do everything possible to avoid a crash.

You must yield the right-of-way to all other traffic and pedestrians at stop signs. Move forward only when the road is clear. At four-way stops, the first vehicle to stop should move forward first. If two vehicles reach the intersection at the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.

On a two-way street or highway, if a school bus is stopped and has the bus signal on you must stop until the bus signal has been withdrawn

On a four-lane road, only drive in the left lane if you are overtaking and passing another vehicle.

When passing another vehicle you should stay a safe distance behind the vehicle you’re going to pass, give your signal before changing lanes, return to the right side of the road once you see the vehicle you passed in your rearview mirror

ou may not pass when at intersections, a solid yellow line is painted on your side of the center line, within a 100 feet of a bridge or railroad crossing

Parking is not allowed in the following areas: within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, in front of driveways, on sidewalks

If you break the law or become an unsafe driver, your license can be suspended, revoked, canceled