Former National Football League quarterback Kordell Stewart found out recently in a non-enviable manner that he was driving on a suspended license.
He was caught speeding.
That double ouch occurred a few weeks ago in an Atlanta suburb when Stewart, who now works as a sports commentator for ESPN, was estimated by a police officer to be traveling in his Range Rover SUV at 61 miles per hour in a 40 mph zone in Alpharetta.
Stewart was duly apologetic, saying that he was "unknowingly driving with a suspended license due to a traffic ticket for tinted windows." He added that the arrest "has opened my eyes about staying on top of my automobile issues."
The police report stated that Stewart was talking on a cell phone and apparently not paying attention to his speed at the time he was arrested.
Stewart's case readily points out that a person can be unaware that he or she is driving with a license suspension. Georgia motorists who continue to drive while on a suspended license are quite often ignorant of that fact. A license can be suspended for a variety of reasons, including lapsed insurance, conviction for a drug offense, failure to timely pay a parking ticket, and even -- as in Stewart's case -- driving with tinted windows.
Penalties for driving with a suspended license -- even for a first offense -- can be quite stringent. Contact an experienced Georgia traffic violation attorney if your license is suspended for any reason.
Related Resource: The Times-Picayune, "Former NFL star Kordell Stewart said he was unaware license was suspended" May 12, 2011
