Facing Your First DUI Charge
Many individual facing a drunk driving charge are also facing their first criminal offense. Unfortunately, a DUI charge can rarely be dropped, especially if the law enforcement officers have hard evidence of your drunk driving, such as a blood, urine or breath sample results. Facing a criminal charge is never easy, and when it comes to driving under the influence, the entire process that awaits you can be rather overwhelming. Unfortunately, drunk driving in DC is not an uncommon occurrence. Therefore, the law enforcement, as well as the prosecutors, aggressively pursue all types of driving while intoxicated. DUI laws are very strict, and in certain cases you can go to jail even for your first offense. Apart from imprisonment, you will inevitably have to pay hefty fines and court expenses. Strict laws are the only way to ensure both residents and visitors stay away from drunk driving. If you are arrested for drunk driving, only a highly qualified attorney can help you reduce your penalties. Bruckheim & Patel are a top rated Washington DC DUI lawyer firm and they are ready to assist you.
Pulled Over Under Suspicion for Driving Under the Influence
If you show signs of impaired driving, such as recklessly turning from one lane to another, driving too slowly or too fast, and similar, a police officer that sees this kind of behavior will immediately suspect you have been drinking and driving. As a result, you will be pulled over, and a police officer may require you to perform field sobriety tests. Once you are detained by law enforcement on a suspicion of driving while intoxicated, the officers may request a breath, blood, or urine sample. This sample is required in order to determine whether or not your blood alcohol content is above the allowed legal limits. If your BAC level is .08 or above, you will probably be arrested for DUI. In case you are under 21 years old, you can face drunk driving charges if your blood alcohol content is above 0.01% as it is a legal limit for minors. On the other hand, if you are a commercial driver, you are not allowed to have BAC above 0.04% as it is punishable by law.
Many drivers think that they are not required to provide this sample, but that is not the truth. Since driving a vehicle is considered a privilege and not your right, once you have received your driving license, you have impliedly consented to give a sample of your breath, urine or blood whenever a police officer ask you to do so. If you refuse, you will only make things worse and automatically face consequences such as immediate suspension of your driving privileges (driver’s license). As you can see, it is not a good idea to refuse to provide these samples. A refusal can only make things worse, and complicate your situation even more than it is initially, and it is probably the last thing you want at this time.
Potential DUI Penalties
If this is your first drunk driving offense and you didn’t cause any property damage or personal injury, you will be charged with a misdemeanor. Penalties for a misdemeanor are not very strict. However, if you have caused severe property damage, injuries or death, your charges will be equally severe. For example, you will spend time in jail, pay high fines, do community service, and more. In certain states, apart from being charged with a felony, you will also be charged with manslaughter or vehicular homicide. Killing someone will haunt you until the rest of your life, and driving drunk is simply not worth it.
Have in mind that DUI penalties are based on the offender's prior conviction record. For a first drunk driving offense, you may face penalties such as up to 6 months in jail, a fine between $500 and $1000, driver’s license suspension from 6 months to 1 year, and community service. In rare circumstances, you may be required to install an ignition interlock device, and participate in an alcohol treatment program.