The moment that you decide to drink and drive is the time that you put yourself and other road users at risk. If you drive while intoxicated (DWI) and you get charged with driving under the influence (DUI), know that you have commenced a relatively lengthy legal process. DUI laws are overly complex, and it’s in your best interest to have the support of an experienced DUI attorney to help in your case.
If you get arrested for DUI, you could be facing hefty fines or even a jail sentence depending on a variety of factors such as your criminal record, blood-alcohol concentration (BAC), previous DUI offenses or whether there were injuries or deaths. The sentence and penalties could be severe if there were minors in the vehicle at the time of arrest.
Implications of DUI charges
If you get charged for driving under the influence, you stand to lose more than you can imagine. Firstly, there is the possibility that you will pay hefty fines or serve a jail term. This is without mentioning the tainting of your criminal record, which destroys your future career prospects. If you are charged with DUI, you are also likely to lose your driving privileges, including suspension of your driver’s license. Even after the suspension period, you may need to install an ignition interlock device. Therefore, considering the seriousness of these charges, you should strongly consider hiring an aggressive DUI attorney to help in your case. An experienced DUI attorney can help with the following:
Help in navigating the complicated legal system
If you go to court and decide to handle your DUI case without any legal representation, there is a high chance that the court will find you guilty. If you plead guilty to the charges, the court can impose any penalties as stipulated in the law.
However, hiring an experienced DUI defense attorney could work in your favor. DUI laws are highly complex and specific, and it calls for someone who has intricate knowledge of how they work to handle your case. DUI defense attorneys have specialized knowledge in this area, including motor vehicle laws, traffic laws, and ignition interlock devices.
Help in challenging your arrest
An experienced DUI defense attorney will always find enough legal reasons to fight your case regardless of the circumstances surrounding your arrest. The attorney can contest various aspects of your DUI charges based on their specialized knowledge of traffic laws, blood test, breathalyzer or even chemical testing procedures.
Contacting expert witnesses
Most of the DUI cases are based on BAC test results. But the BAC results are not always accurate. A DUI defense attorney can challenge these results by citing faulty breathalyzers, rising blood alcohol content, or even by use of expert witnesses. The court may then use these grounds to drop your criminal charges.
DUI plea bargain
In most of the DUI cases, there is always an opportunity for a plea bargain. Considering the complexity of most of the DUI cases, the state may opt for a plea bargain rather than proceed with a case that they might lose. Also, DUI trials are expensive and take a lot of time in court, and therefore a plea bargain makes more sense than pushing the case through trial. A DUI defense attorney will engage with the prosecution to reduce your charges.