A drunk driving conviction comes with many penalties. The duration of a license revocation depends on the drunk driving crime on which a person was convicted. Under Wisconsin law a person may lose the person's driver's license for a matter of months or for a number of years.
For example, the first time that a person is arrested on and convicted of OWI charges the person can lose the person's license for six to nine months. However, that person can immediately apply for an occupational license. As has previously been discussed on this blog, occupational licenses grant individuals provisional licenses that allow them to commute to and from their places of employment with restrictions on other types of driving trips.
In contrast, a person convicted of his fourth OWI offense may have the person's driver's license revoked for three years. Under such circumstances the individual may have to wait around a month and a half to apply for an occupational license and even when such a license is granted the individual may have to install an ignition interlock device in the person's car. Ignition interlock devices prevent individuals from driving drunk by requiring them to blow into a breathalyzer in order to start their cars.
A person who is convicted of taking another person's life while committing an OWI offense can lose the person's license for five years. A homicide while OWI conviction can force a person to wait up to 120 days to apply for an occupational license and during the waiting period the individual must rely on other forms of transportation to maintain the person's job.
Drunk driving convictions can impose serious penalties on Wisconsin drivers. The serious consequences associated with convictions on DUI and OWI offenses can prevent individuals from maintaining their driving privileges. Though occupational licenses can enable some individuals to retain some driving rights, other individuals find themselves without the means to transport themselves to the jobs and other commitments that they maintain in their lives.