If you are charged with a DUI, you may wonder what to do next. There is cause for worry. However, you have more options than you think. You should always consult with an experienced DUI lawyer, one who is local, one you can afford, and one you can communicate with. Let’s find out what to do after you get a DUI.

Hire a Lawyer
You always need an experienced lawyer. You may think you should simply accept the charges given to you. Never plead guilty to DUI charges. You want a lawyer experienced in the court room. You want a lawyer who you can work with for some amount of time. DUI charges are a long process. You may be in and out of the court room for months. However, you may be found innocent, or you may lessen the charges some.

Question Charges
You may face excessive fines, jail time, and a suspended license. This can change your life greatly. You may not be able to get to and from work without a ride. You may owe hundreds if not thousands of dollars. And you may face some excessive time in jail. You should always question these charges. Simply because you are charged with a DUI does not mean you are guilty. The breathalyzer test is not always accurate. Sometimes the officers infringe on your rights. Maybe you are never told of your rights but. In any case, you will have to fight for our rights.

Facing Charges
You have a better chance with an experienced DUI lawyer. As noted, you should question the charges. You may be found innocent. With DUI charges, you have to be at .08 or above to be charged with a DUI. If you are under age, the laws are different. What happens in court? Your lawyer will be negotiating for you. You have the option of judge or jury, but most court rooms use judges to make decisions on cases. You will be questioned on what happened, but even if you lose you have a chance in appeals court. In appeals court, if what happened in the original court case is found to be wrong, you may have a chance of being found innocent.

Moving On
Unfortunately, most DUI charges are not for first time convictions. Many of us make the mistake of being penalized for more than one DUI. The more DUI charges you get, the more penalties you get. You will face longer jail time. You will face more charges. You may lose your license for a longer period. If you get more than one DUI, you may be charged with a felony. You can move on. The best thing you can do is avoid getting that second DUI. Do whatever you can to avoid it. Call a cab. Ask a friend to help. If you are charged with further DUIs, it will be difficult to move on, but you always have a chance.

While you may think drinking and driving is a minor offense, thousands of lives are lost every year to it. By drinking and driving, you put others and yourself in danger. If you are charged with a DUI, it’s time to consult with an experienced DUI lawyer.

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Sometimes the biggest problems start innocently. You might be at a party, drink a little, decide to drive home, and then you’re pulled over. You think you’re fine, but you end up failing the breathalyzer test. At this point, you may wonder what your rights are. Should you take the breathalyzer? Can you refuse other tests? Do you get to know all the charges made against you? This blog guide can answer these questions and more.

Right to a Lawyer
First off, you need a DUI lawyer if you are charged with a DUI. As noted on this blog, if you are charged with a crime, you need hire a lawyer, and never simply plead guilty. Pleading guilty gives you no chance. Pleading guilty means you accept the crime. Pleading guilty means you are not even questioning the penalties. A lawyer can question the charges, can lower penalties, and can sometimes even allow you to be found innocent. At the least, you want to lessen the charges, but there are always mistakes, even if you had been drinking, and this can lead to an innocent verdict.

Do you have to take the breathalyzer or other tests?
Yes, you have to take the breathalyzer test by law in all 50 states, and can receive immediate penalties if you deny it. State laws differ on this, but you almost always want to take the breath test. If you are unsure, you might ask the officer the penalties. If you are positive you will fail, you may consider refusing it. However, your license will immediately be suspended. You also have to take blood tests. However, you need not take field sobriety tests – where you walk in a line or count the alphabet backwards – because there are no laws saying you must. It’s up to you at that point.

Right to a Trial
If you are charged with a  DUI, you are not found guilty upon failing the breath test. You have the right to a trial. And with a lawyer on hand, you can make a not guilty plea and work to lessen the charges if not win completely.

Right to Question the Charges
You always have the right to question the charges made against you. You can question what the officer did. He or she may have made mistakes in arresting you. You can always question the validity of any sobriety tests. The breathalyzer test has a history of being wrong.

Right to an Appeal
If you are charged with a crime and found guilty, there is always the appeals process. If you lost, and the evidence is against you, you may reconsider. On the other hand, if some of what happened in court can be questioned, if laws were misinterpreted, you may win in appeals court.

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You were pulled over, failed a sobriety test, were arrested, faced charges, and then got the penalties. What happens after? It’s a question you may not consider. Life does go on after a DUI charge. While the charges are serious, they need not ruin your life. This blog guide can help.

Why were you arrested?
Drinking and driving is a leading cause of death in the United States. Simply put, thousands die as a result of drinking and driving ever year – and not just those who are intoxicated. DUI has been a point of emphasis in the last decades because of how so many more people are driving after drinking. While the penalties are severe, they are usually fair. If you hurt someone, it can ruin your life. You have options beyond drinking and driving. You can get a designated driver. You can ask a loved one for a ride. If this is after the fact, it’s time to consult with a local DUI lawyer and to fight for your rights. Simply because you were charged does not mean you are guilty.

How soon can you drive?
This depends on the nature of the charges. If this is your first offense, you may lose your license for six months to a year. If you are a multiple offender, you may be unable to drive for years. If you hire the right DUI lawyer, he or she can limit penalties against you. The arresting officer might have made some mistakes. The breathalyzer may have been wrong. You may have broken no laws. A DUI lawyer can find the answers.

How will this affect your employment?
You might think getting charged with drinking and driving will not affect your employment. In fact, it can greatly change your work life. If you are currently employed, you may have trouble getting to work (since you cannot drive). But if you go job hunting, this DUI will stay on your record and will show up on a background check. You might lose some jobs if you lose at trial and have a DUI on your record. Not all employers will consider a DUI a major crime, but some who are looking for reasons not to hire you may find one with your criminal record.

Will this be on your record forever?
On the other hand, you can have this charge expunged from your record. This is very possible, and important, because the charge will remain on your record. If you hire an experienced lawyer, he or she can help you get this off your record. After that, you can move on.

Moving On
There are some other downsides to getting a DUI. It will likely increase your car insurance, so when you’re able to drive again you’ll be spending more money. Even this can be overcome. If you avoid getting further DUI charges, you can move on. You can get your license back, have the charge expunged from your record, and get a second chance as a driver.

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Getting an Illinois DUI leads to many problems. Some of the penalties are much stricter than in other states. You might pay a fine as high as $2,500 for a first offense, spend up to one year in jail, and have your license suspended for up to a year. If you get a second offense, the charges are similar, but you likely will have your license suspended for 5 years. And the further you go, the more you risk getting felony charges. How can you avoid this? What if you’re pulled over in Chicago for a DUI? You should hire an experienced DUI lawyer.

To avoid problems, you should avoid drinking and driving. But if you are pulled over, it’s time to consider representation. There are many advantages to hiring a Chicago DUI lawyer. This blog guide goes over them.

Understand the Laws
Illinois DUI laws, as in all states, can be quite complex. You get pulled over in Chicago for drinking and driving. You fail the breathalyzer. Case closed, right? Wrong, as you have rights, the breathalyzer is not always right, and you should defend yourself in court. But the value of a lawyer is in that he or she can help you avoid major problems. If you go into court not understanding the charges against you, how can you make a defense?

Question What Happened
A Chicago DUI lawyer’s job is to question what happened – what you did, what the officer did, what the breathalyzer or other sobriety tests said, and what charges are placed against you. This is an important part of the process. You might be down on yourself about the whole situation, but a good lawyer can fight for your rights. He or she might find something wrong with what the officer did, or in the validity of the breath tests, or in how damaging the charges will be to your life.

Avoid Maximum Penalties
Some Illinois DUI penalties can be quite severe, such as losing your license for years or spending years in jail. You may not win, that’s a fact. But you can at least lessen the penalties made against you. Without an experienced Chicago DUI lawyer, you won’t have this chance.

Save You Money
Some Illinois DUI penalties come with a heavy price tag. Some may cost you your job (such as if you cannot drive to work anymore). You might think a lawyer will cost you money. There will be some fees. But if you can stay out of jail, that saves you money from losing your job, losing assets, and losing your life. If you can continue to drive, you might also be able to keep your job. If you can avoid excessive fines, though sometimes minor, this too can help.

Represent You In Court
Finally, the biggest advantage in hiring an experienced Chicago DUI lawyer is in that he or she represents your rights in courts. There are so many things which might happen. The officer may have violated your rights in the arrest. The breathalyzer test may have been used incorrectly (which does happen). Or you may have not been driving at all. In court, a DUI lawyer can question what happened and ask that you be acquitted, if not at the least have lesser penalties.

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If you are charged with a DUI, DWI, or OWI, where do you go for help? Should you immediately hire a lawyer? Can you somehow limit the charges against you with an effective defense? You have more options than you might think. The choices you make can, as drinking and driving is a serious offense, change your life.

Resources for DUI
Perhaps the best point of difference between today and 20 years ago is the fact that you have much, much more resources at your disposal. And perhaps the problem is that they are not all as good as you might think. With the internet, we are all six degrees apart, and can find information on a variety of subjects in a matter of seconds. This includes DUI law and defense strategies, but the problem is that DUI law is different in all 50 states. While the .08 BAC (blood alcohol content) level is the same for all 50 states, the exact charges against you vary. Some states charge you more by exactly how much you drink, so if you have a .12 limit, you know what exact charges you get. Some states are tougher on first offenses. Some call drinking and driving DWI, some DUI, others OWI. However, you can find many good, state specific resources online, especially government sites and sites of legal lawyers practicing in your state. This blog is an example of a resource you might study for how to defend against DUI charges.

Legal Help for DUI
If you are charged with a  DUI, it’s time to get legal representation. There are thousands of DUI lawyers, and sometimes you may consider going without a lawyer. Well, you should always get a professional. Yes, hiring a lawyer costs money, but it may save you time in jail, help avoid lengthy suspensions, and save you fines. If you do hire a lawyer, be critical in who you choose. Hire someone local, who understands state DUI laws, who you can communicate well with, and who has the experience in handling cases like yours.

Limit Charges Against You
If you hire an experienced DUI lawyer, you should be able to limit the charges against you. You can expect, depending on the nature of the charges, to face jail time, license suspension, fines, probation, and other problems. How do you limit these? You hire a lawyer immediately, long before your court date. You question the charges against you, such as the reason for being pulled over or the accuracy of the DUI tests. Finally, you go to court, make your not guilty plea, and use your lawyer to make an effective defense.

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A DUI defense is always possible. You may consider pleading guilty. You may just accept the charges. You might not hire a DUI lawyer to defend you. But these are mistakes. You have options for defending a drinking and driving charge. This guide explains them to you.

Plead Guilty?
You should almost never plead guilty to a DUI charge. The problem with pleading guilty is that you are accepting the full charges. You may be guilty of some of what happened, but you need not accept every charge made against you. Instead, you should hire a lawyer and prepare a defense.

Plead Not Guilty
Pleading not guilty to a drinking and driving charge is one of your options, and it’s the best. There may be a problem with the blood alcohol test. The arresting officer may have made a mistake. Your lawyer may find a problem in what happened, or proof you might not have been intoxicated at all. In other words, you should almost always plead innocent, as it’s your right.

The BAC Level
Blood alcohol level tests are not 100% accurate. Few tests on your body are without some chance of being wrong. The breathalyzer, for example, has a history of being wrong. It is subject to human error; simply because you fail it does not mean you are guilty. Therefore, it’s time to question it. Blood tests are much more accurate, but they too are subject to some error.

The Arresting Officer
Sometimes the arresting officer makes mistakes. He or she might pull you over for no reason. The officer may break your rights during the arrest. The officer might profile you simply because you are a minority, a woman, or in a certain make of car. You have clear legal rights. The officer must have a valid, provable reason for pulling you over. You cannot just be pulled over because it’s late or because you look intoxicated. You must break a law to be pulled over in the first place.

Your Lawyer Options
Perhaps the most important right you have when charged with drinking and driving is to representation. You need an experienced DUI lawyer, someone who specializes in handling these cases, who you can hire to fight for your rights,who you can communicate with, and who you can afford. You have the option for a court appointed lawyer, or even to defend yourself, but this is a big decision and a very important defense. You need a professional. A court appointed lawyer has no stake in your defense; he or she might even advise you to plead guilty or accept the charges, always a mistake. Unless you are a DUI lawyer, you should never defend yourself.

Drinking and driving is a major problem, and a mistake. But guilt is not always 100%, even if you can admit some mistakes. Know your options and prepare an effective defense.

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You were pulled over, arrested, and charged with a DUI. It’s all over, right? Actually, you have many opportunities for defense. And a strong defense is important, as you can expect some serious charges. Even a first DUI can lead to up to six months in jail and $2,500 in fines, not to mention having your license suspended. And if you have multiple DUI charges or someone is hurt in an accident you cause, you will face even tougher charges. How can you avoid charges? With a strong DUI defense. Don’t give up, as there are strategies for defeating an Illinois DUI charge.

The Illegal Stop
You cannot be pulled over without cause. If you’re pulled over because you are a minority, for example, that is of course illegal. If you are pulled over on suspicion of drinking, simply because you are driving at night, that is illegal. If you are pulled over because you swerve between lanes, you may think this is valid, but you are breaking no law. You must make a real mistake, such as speeding, in order to be pulled over.

Problem with the Field Sobriety Test
First, you do not have to take the field sobriety test. Note there is a difference between the breathalyzer – which is required by law – and field tests, where you might stand on one leg. These tests have been proven to be inaccurate reading of your ability to drive.

Incorrect Breath Test
Breath tests are not 100% accurate. No DUI test is without some danger of being inaccurate. The problem with the breathalyzer test is that it is subject to human error. If you are pulled over by an Illinois officer, are given the breath test, and fail, it does not always merit charges. There are many scenarios where the breathalyzer can be wrong. It makes no difference on your weight, whether you are a man or woman, nor if you ate food along with the alcohol.

Blood Test Problems
Blood tests are not 100% accurate either. The police may in fact not correctly take your blood. They can be wrong in testing, analysis, and/or preservation methods. The blood test is the most accurate of all BAC tests, but this is a human system, and no human system is perfect.

Witnesses
If there are witnesses to what happened, you may be able to make a clear Illinois DUI defense. They may have seen the arresting officer do something wrong. They may be willing to testify as to if you were intoxicated. A witness can often disprove what the arresting officer said.

Officer History
If the arresting Illinois officer has a history of mistakes, such as in pulling people over for no reason, this can be used in court against the charges. They may have pulled people over illegally. The officer may have lied under oath before. The officer may have made mistakes in taking breath tests.

No matter what, you should question DUI charges. A strong Illinois DUI defense is always possible. If you are unsure of where to begin, it’s time to speak with an experienced Illinois DUI lawyer.

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Very simply, the more you drink, the more chance you have of being in an accident, often a fatal one. That is the danger of drinking and driving. Let’s go into detail on why it’s so dangerous, what you can do to avoid it, and when to get legal assistance.

Fatal Accident
According to a recent About.com study on alcoholism, if you have a BAC (blood alcohol content) level of .10, you are seven times more likely to get into a fatal crash than another driver who has not been drinking. Even a minor accident can lead to death, especially at night. If you go even further, to levels as high as .15 or .2, you are even more likely to get into a fatal car accident (about 25 times more according to the study). Drinking and driving is one of the leading causes of death. And there are penalties if you’re driving causes a  death, which we will be going over.

Major Injury
You may not die, or the other driver may not die. You may face a major injury. Trauma from an accident, broken bones, sometimes being paralyzed, or a variety of other things many simply do not want to think about. Well, this is the reality. You need not die, obviously, to have your life changed because of drinking and driving.

Other Drivers
You are putting other drivers at risk by driving. Drinking and driving affects your vision, your coordination, your ability to see distance, and may even lead to passing out while driving. There are many more effects, but this is fairly obvious stuff. The point is your driving may not harm you at all; you may not see the other driver and run right into his driver’s side door, killing him.

Vehicular Homicide
And if someone dies because of your drinking and driving, it can be called “vehicular homicide,” which has very serious charges. There are thousands of deaths every year related to drinking and driving. It’s a leading cause of death in all 50 states. You stand to do more than lose your license; you face serious jail time.

Mixing With Drugs
Mixing alcohol with other drugs further hurts your ability to drive. You may not even know your medicine should not be taken with alcohol, but it’s your job to find out. It may lead to a severe problem before you even start driving. Drugs obviously cause thousands of deaths every year too.

Charges
The final danger of drinking and driving is facing some serious license suspensions, fines, jail time, probation, and more. State laws all differ on how to charge you. If it’s found you have a BAC of .8 or higher, you will be charged. All states use this law.

Who can help? If you’re charged with a DUI, perhaps one where you or someone else was hurt, it’s important to hire an experienced lawyer. Get someone who specializes in DUI law. While you do have the option to defend yourself or use a court appointed lawyer, it’s important to hire a professional who understands the laws and can help.

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DWI laws change from state to state, making some study important. Even if you get a lawyer – and you definitely need a DWI lawyer if you’re being charged – you should be aware of basic laws. Why? If you don’t know what is happening in the court room, you won’t be able to make key decisions. This guide helps you make those decisions by going over 6 DWI laws you should understand.

New York DWI – The First Offense
Expect fines from $500 to $1,000. You might be charged with up to 1 year jail time. Finally, your drivers license will be revoked for at least six months. Why so hard for a first offense? One of the leading causes of death in New York is drinking and driving. But it does not mean you have no rights; you do.

The Second Offense
If you get a second New York DWI within 10 years of the first, you can expect major fines, a longer jail sentence, and a longer license suspension. Fines can be as high as $5,000. You may face up to 4 years jail time. And your license is often suspended for years. If you believe you were pulled over in error, that your rights have been broken, or that you were not under the influence, you need to speak with a lawyer.

The Third Offense
Now we are getting even worse. Expect penalties to be doubled in comparison to your second offense. If you get a third DWI within 10 years of the second, that’s a felony charge (technically a class d felony), and felonies are the worst driving penalties you can get. If you want to avoid long time jail, fines up to $10,000, and a lengthy license suspension, get legal help.

Aggravated DWI
While less common, we all know how sometimes you just can’t stop drinking. That applies most when you consider than an aggravated DWI means your BAC (blood alcohol concentration) is .18 or higher. That’s not only dangerous to you, as much higher and you risk life, but it also puts others in grave danger. The more you drink, the more likely you are to be in an accident (some studies have pointed out you can be 10 to 40 times more likely to be in an accident if drink enough).

DWAI/Drug
If you are arrested for being “driving while ability impaired” by drugs, the penalties are close to what you get for a DWI. If no alcohol is in your system, but drugs are, you can still be charged.

Your Right to Representation
Scared? There is one other important law to consider – that you have a right to representation. Simply put, not all DWI cases are the same. You may have been charged with a  higher BAC level than you had, or you may have been profiled by the arrest officer, or the officer lied about something, or a variety of other points. If you are charged with abusing substances and driving, your first move is to immediately hire an experienced DWI lawyer. Do not hire someone who does a “little of everything;” get a specialist in DWI law. And don’t wait until days before your trial to hire a lawyer; hire one as soon as possible.

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Pennsylvania is unique in the ways the laws are interpreted, with penalties based on your BAC (blood alcohol content) The 3 levels are: .08 to .099, which is lowest; .1 to .159, which has a higher penalty; and .16 and above, which has the highest penalty. If you’re a Pennsylvania resident, and are caught drinking and driving, what penalties you face depend on the situation. But as you’ll see, you do have legal options and rights.

Know Your Rights
You have a right to a lawyer and a right to a defense. That means you can hire a professional to handle your case and question what happened. You can question the arresting officer on a variety of questions. You have a right to defense in a court room, and this means you always have a chance. But some consider pleading guilty, hoping to avoid a long battle. This is a mistake; you do not have to plead guilty even if you were drinking; hire a professional lawyer and make no decisions without legal counsel.

Know the Penalties
The higher your BAC, the higher the penalty. In all 50 states, you face license suspension, jail time, and fines for a DUI or DWI. The more penalties you get, the more likely you’ll face felony charges. Pennsylvania is unique in its BAC level punishment. For a first time DUI with only a .8 BAC, for example, you might not even lose your license. But get two or three of these charges and you may face a felony. If you go above .16, even on a first offense you almost always get some jail time.

Question What Happened
Why should you question what happened? Because there are laws for police officers too. If you feel you were treated wrong – and there are a variety of things which may happen – you deserve a voice. A court room is not the time to get mean or attack someone, but it is a place to ask why you were pulled over and if your rights were broken.

Know Your Legal Options
You have a right to a professional Pennsylvania DUI lawyer. You have other options: you can defend yourself in court, or use a court appointed lawyer. But you get much less value from a court appointed lawyer, who will not specialize, who will not have the necessary time to defend you, and who will have no incentive. If you want to defend yourself, understand this rarely works. There is no room for learning on the job; you have to prepare an effective defense, and a professional lawyer is needed for that.

Avoid Multiple Pennsylvania DUI Penalties
If you get charged once, no matter your BAC level, leave it at that. The more charges you get, the bigger the penalties will be and the harder a defense will be.

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