Violations of Driver’s License Causing Bodily Injury
What counts as a violation of Vehicle Code § 14601.4?
Vehicle Code § 14601.4 makes it a crime to for a person, while driving a vehicle with a license suspended or revoked as a result of a DUI conviction pursuant to Vehicle Code § 14601.2 to violate a law or neglect a duty imposed by law while driving a vehicle, and that act or neglect of a duty proximately causes bodily injury to a person other than the driver. Additionally, in proving the person neglected a duty imposed by law in the driving of the vehicle, it is not necessary to prove that a specific section of the Vehicle Code was violated.
To be convicted under Vehicle Code § 14601.4, all of the following must be true:
- the person’s driver’s license was revoked or restricted,
- the person violated a law or failed to meet a duty imposed by law, and
- the violation of the law caused bodily injury to another person.
What is the punishment for a violation of Vehicle Code § 14601.4?
Violating Vehicle Code § 14601.4 is punishable by imprisonment in county jail without the possibility of work release, community service, or other release programs before the minimum period of imprisonment, prescribed in Vehicle Code § 14601.2, is served.
If a person is convicted and is granted probation, the court will require that the person convicted serve at least the minimum time of imprisonment as a term or condition of probation.
What defenses are available to Vehicle Code § 14601.4?
- You did not violate a law or fail to meet a duty imposed by law
- You did not have a suspended or revoked driver’s license at the time
- You did not cause bodily injury to another person
