What affect will an out of state wet reckless have in Washington State? HELP.

WA resident & licensed driver. Arrested in CA while on vacation for DUI at sobriety checkpoint(refusal in 2003. Pleaded no contest to Wet Reckless & paid all fines immediately. Court ordered no license suspension and no alcohol classes. My privilege to drive in CA was suspended by CA DMV for 1 yr.for refusal. Got suspension notice in mail from CA DMV. Lawyer said I didn't have to respond unless the WA DMV acted on the suspension. WA never did. Regardless, I didn't drive for 1 yr. in CA or WA. I renewed my WA drivers license in 2004.
My CA suspension period is over, but I am worried I got bad advice from my lawyer. Have i screwed up by not responding to the suspension order (no CA sr-22 or reinstatement fee)? Will this affect my WA license renewal this year? What should I do next? - Is this your question? Add additional information
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Answers (2)

Aaron Reuben Bortel

Aaron Reuben Bortel

Contributor Level 4
Contact Sacramento DMV mandatory unit to determine if you need the SR-22.
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Timothy Charles Milios

Timothy Charles Milios Avvo Pro

Contributor Level 4
There are two ways that your Washington driving privileges could be affected by your non-action with regard to the California suspension.

The first is if Washington suspended you based on the California conviction. If Washington had been notified of the California conviction for reckless driving, it generally would have suspended you for 30 days. In order to be reinstated, you would have needed to show proof of SR-22 insurance, a condition that wold have lasted for three years. Based upn the age of the case and the fact that you renewed without incident in 2004 it is likely that a) Washington never received notice of the conviction or b) since Washington does not have a "wet reckless" statute, there was no basis for a Washington suspension. Regardless, the SR-22 requirement would have run its course by now.

The second way your Washington status could have been affected is if your license had remained suspended in California for failing to satisfy the SR-22 requirements down there. In general, however, the SR-22 requirement is only in affect for three years. Assuming a 2003 suspension for a period of one year on the refusal, that requirement wold have run in 2007.

In short, it is unlikely your renewal in 2009 will be affected. If you are concerned, call the Washington DOL to check on the staus of your driving privilege or check online at www.dol.wa.gov.
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