Table of Contents
What is DUI?
A DUI which is an acronym for “Driving Under Influence” is a criminal offense that can have serious charges. DUI and DWI (Driving while intoxicated) may both be referred to as having committed a similar offense though the only difference is in the state in which you were pulled over. These two tend to have similar legal consequences considering both of them involve jeopardizing your own life and the lives of other people. A DUI case is not only legally punishable but is also morally condemnable. Let’s see why should you hire a DUI attorney.
In normal circumstances, a DUI case may end up in heavy charges or fines depending upon the situation that you were pulled over in. However, in cases where a DUI results in some accident or other criminal offense, the penalties might increase and may even lead to serious criminal charges and even jail time.
Driving Under the Influence not only implies drinking alcohol but also other recreational and medicinal drugs that may impair your ability to drive. As long as you are under the influence of any sort of drug that may impair your senses or endanger your life and the life of others; you may be charged with a DUI.
What is impaired driving?
Impaired driving implies any sort of sensory or physical impairment caused by alcohol or any recreational drug that may put you in a dangerous situation while driving. If you are pulled over by an arresting officer, they may examine you for the possibility of impaired driving. This will most likely involve a breathalyzer test. In case the officer feels like you are under influence but the test shows up negative, they are likely to suspect you of taking any other drugs than alcohol that may be either legally prescribed or illegal. In such a case the officer may call over a Drug recognition Expert or a DRE in order to verify the case. A Drug Recognition Expert officer may perform a series of tests on you to determine whether or not you are under influence. Based upon the tests of the results, you may or may not be arrested.
In case your tests show positive and you may not have taken any sorts of drugs, it is very much possible that you are prescribed certain medications that may involve drugs that can cause sensory impairment. You need to properly consult your physician regarding any medicinal drugs that you may be intaking.
What are the consequences of Impaired Driving?
Driving while being impaired can have serious legal consequences. Being arrested for a DUI is punishable by law and you may end up with heavy fines or conditions. This may involve losing your driving license and even ending up with a community service sentence. In case you get into an accident while driving under influence, your case may even become worse especially if you end up causing damage to public property or worse you end up taking someone’s life. In such cases you won’t just end up with mere probation or fines but the other party has every right to sue you for both physical and emotional damages.
While the penalties may differ from state to state and depend upon your situation when you were pulled over as well but impaired driving for a fact is a very serious criminal offense that can end up in life impairments or loss of lives.
That is not the end of it. In case you have had your driving license taken from you, you may not be able to get it back very easily. You may not only be required to complete your punishment first but would also be required to take defensive driving classes or according to the regulations of some states you may even be required to complete alcohol treatment programs.
Even after meeting all these demands you may still end up needing a SR-22 insurance which can further add to your expenses and debts by requiring you to pay double or triple premiums lasting up to three years. Depending upon the state laws you may also be required to install an ignition interlock device in your vehicle. This device ensures that you are in a sober state to drive by not letting you start the vehicle before blowing into the device first. The device is another extra expense upon your head considering it may require a monthly monitoring fee other than its own cost. To sum it up, a DUI may cost you more financial damage or even physical damage that is totally not worth it.
Why should you hire a DUI Attorney
Hiring a DUI attorney is better than handling a DUI case on your own. Driving while intoxicated is not an easy case to go through and you may end up with many financial or other losses. A misrepresented case may even take you to jail time. For a favorable outcome that you can actually benefit from you may need to hire a DUI Attorney. A DUI Attorney is a professional that is both knowledgeable and experienced in dealing with cases of driving under influence in court. They not only provide you with the appropriate legal advice but also help you fight the case in your defence and reduce your sentence or penalties.
Hiring a professional DUI lawyer after being arrested is the best possible decision you can make in your own favor. If you have any questions or require consultancy regarding a complicated DUI case you can visit a professional like Los Angeles DUI Lawyer.
Considering a lawyer to represent you in court ensures that you have the proper legal representation in court and that your case is dealt whilst considering your rights in mind.
Here are a few reasons why having a legal representation is crucial for your case:
- A DUI lawyer can access your situation and the possible outcome of your case and maybe be able to guide you accordingly. Having the experience and knowledge of these cases, they are able to focus on areas that even you may miss out on and may help you use them to your advantage.
- A DUI lawyer can give you the right legal advice that can help you minimize your sentence and avoid serious penalties. In case you end up with serious jail time, they can put in a plea for sentence reduction and may be able to get you out in a few years on parole.
- DUI lawyers are familiar with what you are liable for and what you aren’t. Many times, insurance companies may try to benefit from your situation and may try to scam you into paying for liabilities. DUI lawyers can save you from such situations of being ripped off.
- In certain cases, there may be second parties that are liable for your case including bars of faulty instructions related to prescriptions. A professional attorney is able to determine the liability that a second party may need to carry and use it to your advantage.
- A proper lawyer can also help you avoid being misrepresented in court. Many times, the prosecutor may be able to get words out of you that can be used against you. To avoid such cases where your words may be manipulated or used against you, it is better that you consult with some who can professionally represent you in the court of law.
- Lawyers have relationships and connections in court that increase the chance for you to bargain or plea for reductions in sentences. They can also help design your sentence programs that can be actually more helpful to you compared to what you can achieve by representing yourself in court.
- Lawyers can negotiate on your behalf and help you set terms that can be in your favor or may at least reduce your consequences. They are your legal representatives that can safeguard your rights and ensure that your charges don’t impact your employment or credit. Instead they may be able to get you out with better alternatives like attending a Drug Rehab Program which is actually in your own benefit.
While you can go for representing yourself legally in court however it is recommended not to do so since the consequences of not hiring a lawyer outweigh the ratio of hiring one. This is because a DUI case is not very simple and it can have a seriously negative impact on your credit as well as your life. A few consequences of not hiring a lawyer for your legal representation are as follows
- You may be required to pay extra fines and loses that exceed your limit
- You may even end up losing you credit and employment
- You may end up with jail time
- You may end up being scammed by insurance companies
- You may be misrepresented in court
- You may lack the legal knowledge and experience to handle your case
- You may get more penalties than you deserve while other parties may get away with it
- You may end up dealing with everything alone
Conclusion
While getting rid of a DUI sentence completely is impossible, there are many ways and possibilities to have a favorable outcome that doesn’t entirely go against you. A professional can help you realize the factors that may be in your favor and warn you against the ones that aren’t. They can not only ensure that you don’t have to deal with the hassle of the paperwork but also the fact that you are not alone in this. After all, sometimes a problem with drugs is not something that you can deal with just by paying fines or going through jail time.
