Facing A DUI Charge? A DUI Attorney is Important
How DUI and Drunk Driving Laws Differ and How a Laywer Can Help
Aug 29, 2009
If a driver have been charged with a DUI, or Driving Under the Influence, then it is imperative that they seek the advice of a reputable DUI attorney, since drunk driving laws are not only increasingly severe, but subject to increasingly open interpretation.
As states across the country increase the number of DUI charges being brought against drivers, DUI attorneys are helping more and more people to establish their rights under drunk driving laws, and ensure that a DUI charge does not mean the end of their current lifestyle, career or freedom.
The Consequences of a DUI Charge
Without any doubt, a successful DUI charge or Driving Under the Influence arrest will have lifelong implications for the driver. If a driver has been charged or arrested with Driving Under the Influence then imagine how they'll manage if they have their license taken away or their car impounded. Does the driver rely on their car for work? It could mean the end of a career, and even if a former drunk driver retains or regains their license, many employees will not consider them because they now have a criminal record.
From hefty fines to prison sentences, from having a mandatory ignition interlock device which requires a driver to blow into a device to start the car's engine, and then again every ten minutes, to having to display their license plate in red letters to warn others of their conviction as a DUI driver, there are so many implications, many of them shameful, many of them seriously damaging to a career, family and a person's freedom.
Then there’s the wallet to consider – insurance premiums will assuredly skyrocket, and many rental car firms will not even give consideration to someone that's had a DUI record. Hiring an experienced DUI attorney to help those through the maze of drunk driving laws is essential, and there’s not a moment to lose.
There is also the fact that life can be unpredictable, and all too often people who have been convicted of a DUI offence have discovered this event coming back to haunt them time and time again, often in seemingly unrelated ways.
There have been many instances where someone who, perhaps many years ago, was convicted of a drunk driving offence, and who therefore has a criminal, record, discovering that this fact has grave consequences on very serious aspects of their lives. Divorce cases and child custody hearings have often brought a DUI offence to light once again, with the result that the offender continues suffering, even losing out financially, or losing out on custody.
Police Officers do Make Mistakes When it comes to DUI Charges
The simple truth is that the truth is rarely simple, and breath tests are often inaccurate or misleading. An initial determination of whether a driver is Driving Under the Influence will usually use a breath test which identifies the blood alcohol level. In most states the maximum blood alcohol percentage allowed is 0.08%, which not only requires precise measurements, but accurate ones. In their quick info section of their website, DUICentre.ca, when asked if a breathalyzer can be wrong, says "Yes. The breathalyzer can produce false readings because of operator error, because of improper maintenance, or because the characteristics of the driver are different from the norm"
This is just one example of how DUI attorneys can help to unravel the complex drunk driving laws, identifying the drivers rights, and helping to defend those rights, freedom and the driver's future.
DUI Laws Differ From State to State
If charged with a DUI offence it is important to not admit guilt, but to seek a reputable DUI attorney at the soonest possible opportunity. Although DUI offences exist in all states, there are many different ways in which the laws vary from one state to another, and this can easily add to the confusion and misunderstanding.
For example, whilst drunk driving laws refer to a DUI offence in one state, elsewhere the same offence may be referred to as DWI (Driving While Intoxicated), DUII (Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants), OMVI (Operating Motor Vehicle Intoxicated), or OUI (Operation Under the Influence) to name but a few.
Indeed, there are over 10 different acronyms used across various states, and the specific laws and requirements vary almost as much. Without a knowledgeable DUI attorney to help untangle the drunk driving laws for whichever state the alleged offence occurred within a driver might as well hand over their license and say goodbye to the life they currently lead.
Don't Drink and Drive and a DUI Attorney Won't Be Needed
It's important to not condone the offence of Driving While Intoxicated or Driving Under the Influence. Obviously if a person avoided drinking and driving they wouldn't need a DUI Attorney. Yet, as has been stated, sometimes mistakes do happen and then it becomes necessary to weigh both sides of an issue.
Since the law has demonstrated significant flexibility, having altered considerably over recent years, and variability, being interpreted and applied in many different ways across different states, it is only fair and reasonable that those against whom charges have been brought are defended in the best possible way. Especially if by some chance a mistake was made.
With drunk driving laws hard enough to comprehend in one state, let alone fifty, a local DUI attorney will be an essential guide to help protect the rights and life of a driver.
For the sake of their future, career, family and freedom, a person that's been charged with a DUI shouldn't wait another minute. Relying on a public defender is not the answer, rather finding a DUI attorney is imperative. The attorney has the power to help a driver get moving in life once again and can help provide options where previously it seemed like there were none.
Another Important DUI Source
A reader that has enjoyed reading "Facing a DUI Charge?" may also want to check out DUI Consequences, a website featuring dui laws and consequences in all 50 states.
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