DUI Lawyers,,DUI Laws,Penalties

Archive for June, 2008

After being arrested for driving under the influence, the first and most important thing to do is to find the right DUI lawyer. It is just like needing to find a doctor to do an important medical procedure and once you find the professional, your job is to wait there and let the professional do the work. If a person is charged with DUI, then on his first day in court the defendant in misdemeanor cases will usually not have to be present if he or she is represented by an attorney.

The cost of San Diego DUI lawyers will vary due to many factors, including reputation, skill and training, as well as the number of hours required for a particular DUI case.

Each of these factors can affect the fee charged by San Diego DUI lawyers to defend a DUI case. Other factors include the different facts of the particular case, whether an accident or other aggravating factor was involved, whether the person has prior DUI or DWI convictions, whether a jury trial is necessary, whether a DMV or driver’s license hearing is necessary, whether an expert witness is necessary, and whether a jury or court trial is necessary.

Usually, hiring San Diego DUI lawyers will provide you with the best possible investigation and defense of your case, and you will be the sole focus of your DUI attorney. And if you simply choose to plead guilty, you may wonder for years if you could have had the charges against you dismissed or reduced to a lesser offense.

The San Diego DUI lawyers should do many things for you, like bring you peace of mind and make your life as normal as possible during a pending DUI.

The San Diego DUI lawyers work independently and offer various financing plans, and they will let you know what your options are if you can not afford to pay your retainer fee for a DUI case.

For more resources about Los Angeles DWI lawyers or about San Diego DWI lawyers and especially about Orange County DWI lawyers please review these pages.

Every year millions of people in the United States get convicted of Driving under the Influence (DUI). This a crime and often times these drunk drivers maim or kill people due to them not being in the right capacity to operate their motor vehicle. This article will examine what exactly is a DUI and the different sentences associated with it under the state of Alabama. It will also look at the issue of obtaining car insurance once you have been convicted of a DUI in Alabama.

It is a crime to drive drunk and this is often times called driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI), this all depends on the state and how they define it. In the state of Alabama it is known as a DUI. To be considered a drunk driver in Alabama, the driver must have a high blood alcohol concentration of .15 or higher. Drunk driving kills many people a year and puts countless others at risk. This means if convicted of a DUI it carries far reaching consequences. These will be discussed below.

DUI is a crime and if you are arrested there are different sentences that can be handed down by a court in Alabama. These vary and this article will examine what they are. In the State of Alabama if you have a first offense of DUI then you may get some of the following penalties. For a first offense you may either receive one year in jail, a 90 day license suspension up to a $2,100 fine and mandatory DUI school. For a second offense you may receive one year in jail, mandatory 5 days in jail, a 1 year license suspension, a fine up to $5,100 and mandatory DUI. For your third DUI you may receive one year in jail, mandatory 60 days in jail, a 3 year license suspension, a fine up to $10,100 and mandatory DUI. Your fourth and higher DUI offense is considered a C class felony and you may receive punishment of one year and a day to 10 years in jail, a 5 year license suspension and a fine up to $10,100.

Aside from court costs, possible jail time and heavy fines people convicted of a DUI in Alabama also have to worry about their car insurance premiums increasing. Most people depend on their car and an added cost to operating one affects people tremendously. Most insurance companies check your DMV records to see if you have any accidents or been convicted of a DUI. Insurance companies in Alabama especially the city of Birmingham if they find out you have a DUI conviction will often times raise your premiums because they feel as if you are a high risk driver. This could send your Birmingham Auto Insurance through the roof.

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California DUI/DWI Facts and Statistics

Drunk driving or driving under the influence (DUI) is the act of driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or while in an inebriated condition. It is a common problem in the United States and the rest of the world. DUI is responsible for 41 percent of total traffic deaths.

Alcohol tends to get absorbed into the bloodstream and is carried to the brain immediately upon consumption. Laws in the US in relation to DUI have become extremely strict. In the state of California alone there are approximately 200,000 arrests for DUI every year. The law has enforced strict and stringent measures against people who have found to have a blood alcohol count of 0.08% or more.

Based on California law, a person under the influence of alcohol is charged on two counts, a Vehicle Code section 23152(a) count, driving impaired by alcohol and 23152(b), driving above a .08% Blood Alcohol Content.

California Highway Patrol records, 1998 states that in 1997, a total of 31,189 people were injured in alcohol-related traffic accidents in California. This comes down to approximately 86 people per day. Injuries caused in such accidents comprise of roughly 10.94% of the total 284,871 traffic injuries in California. It also states that in 1997, a total of 1,100 people were killed in alcohol-related accidents in California – this equates to 3 people per day. These deaths roughly represent almost 29.96% of the total 3,671 traffic fatalities in California.

Strict and stringent laws have been enacted to deal with offenders caught while DUI. Jail sentences range from 2 days to 120 days depending on the intensity of the offence. Similarly DUI schooling may also be recommended. This may range from 15 weeks to 18 months. Sale of the vehicle or impounding may also take place with the proceeds going towards charity.

Statistics have proved that since the enactment of the 0.08% blood alcohol count, the DUI arrests have decreased by an assenting rate of 45%. The number of deaths and injuries has also shown a 50% decrease. This is a positive indication, which proves that to an extent, the imposition of fines and punishments has shown affirmative results.

Alcohol offenses are serious crimes, which carry major consequences if convicted. An alcohol related crime can be one of many subcategories including, DUI, DWI, underage drinking, public drunken behavior and the illegal distribution, production and sale of liquor.

If you have been charged with any of these crimes, 1000Attorneys.com can help you find a pre-screened lawyer who specializes DUI charges in California. All Attorneys are insured and monitored by a process approved by the California Bar Association and the Supreme Court.

Any punishment or penalties assigned by the court in a California DUI / drunk driving case is separate from the repercussions possible at the DMV. The California DMV will suspend the driver’s license for a minimum of four (4) months for a first-offense (1st) DUI / DWI arrest if the driver loses the hearing.

The DMV will suspend the driver’s license for one year for a second offense (2nd) and two years for a third offense (3rd). These are the repercussions faced by California drivers who submit to a chemical test of their blood or breath. In the case of a refusal, the DMV punishment is increased: a first-offense (1st) will trigger a one-year suspension with no opportunity for a restricted license.

A second offense (2nd) with refusal will result in a two-year suspension, and a third offense (3rd) will cause a three-year suspension.