What is a Motor Vehicle Crime?

When most people think of motor vehicle crimes, they tend to think of OUI/DUI. While driving under the influence is perhaps the best known motor vehicle crime in Massachusetts and elsewhere, it’s far from the only one.

A motor vehicle crime is an unlawful act committed with a car, truck, motorcycle, or other motor vehicle. Perhaps the most common is leaving the scene of an accident where there is property damage. If, for instance, your teenager backs into a parked car in the mall parking lot, causing some damage, then drives away, she has just committed a motor vehicle crime according to Massachusetts law.

Other motor vehicle crimes include:

• Operating negligently so as to endanger
• Operating without a license
• Operating after license revocation or suspension
• Leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury
• Leaving the scene of an accident involving death
• Causing serious bodily injury while OUI
• Falsifying/Using a false motor vehicle document
• Operating without authority

While some motor vehicle crimes are misdemeanors, some are felonies with heavy penalties. Leaving the scene of an accident in which a death has occurred, for example, carries a mandatory jail sentence. And while some charges have well-defined elements, others, such as operating to endanger, are much more nebulous. In such cases, it’s especially important to have an attorney with the skill to challenge the charges.

What to Do After a Motor Vehicle Crime

Sometimes otherwise law-abiding citizens are charged with motor vehicle crimes because they don’t perceive the seriousness of their actions, such as driving while a license is suspended. Or they cause an accident, panic, and flee, before thinking better of their actions.

Whatever the cause of your charges, you need to act swiftly to minimize their negative effect on your life. Your first step should be a call to a qualified defense attorney who has experience with motor vehicle crimes. Attorney Henry Fasoldt has handled hundreds of motor vehicle cases, and can almost always help to avoid license loss or suspension, so that your life is disrupted as little as possible,

Contact our office today for an evaluation of your Massachusetts motor vehicle case and discuss your options with an attorney committed to helping you defeat the charges against you.