A.  A “habitual offender” shall be any person, resident or non-resident, whose record, as maintained in the office of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, shows that such person has accumulated ten or more convictions of separate and distinct offenses, committed within three years of the date on which the last offense is committed, involving moving violations, singularly or in combination, in the operation of a motor vehicle which are required to be reported to the department.  However, when more than one included offense is committed within a twelve-hour period, such multiple offenses shall be treated for the purposes of this Chapter as one offense.

B.  The offenses included in Subsection A shall be deemed to include offenses under any federal law, any law of another state or any valid town, city or county ordinance of another state substantially conforming to the aforesaid state statutory provision.

C.  For the purpose of this Chapter, the term “conviction” means a final conviction.  Also for the purpose of this Section, a forfeiture of bail or collateral deposited to secure a defendant‘s appearance in court, which forfeiture has not been vacated or a plea of nolo contendere shall be equivalent to a conviction.

Added by Acts 1972, No. 697, §1.  Amended by Acts 1978, No. 310, §1; Acts 1983, No. 621, §1; Acts 1986, No. 398, §1; Acts 1990, No. 933, §1.