You do not have a right to drive in Georgia, not in the sense that many people assume. Instead, driving is a convenience that can be taken away from you. One common way that this happens is when you are given a DUI charge. Your license could be either suspended or revoked, and you must know the difference.
A suspension is temporary. It lasts for a set amount of time that is often laid out directly in the law–it’s not always up to the discretion of the judge. You could lose your license for six months, for example. When the time runs out, you don’t automatically get the license back. You have to put in an application, and your case will be reviewed to see if you did everything you needed to do to have the suspension lifted.
A revocation is very similar, but the length of time is up to the Department of Driver Services. This means that there are no laws about how long you lose your license for. They give each person a length of time based on the case. Again, when that time has been served, an application for a new license has to be put in.
Typically, suspensions are used for early offenses, as the statues and regulations are in place. Those who become repeat offenders may get revocations, giving the court a bit more power in how long the license will be taken away for.
Not only do you need to know the difference between the two, but you should also know what you can legally do if you are facing either a suspension or a revocation.
Source: Georgia Department of Driver Services, “Driver’s License Suspensions and Revocations,” accessed July 30, 2015