Main DUI penalties And Potential Consequences

Being accused of driving under the influence of alcohol or illegal substances may have absolutely detrimental consequences and will have a huge impact on your day to day living. First of all, right on the spot, the arresting officer is going to confiscate your driver’s license. He will then provide you with temporary permit that will allow you to drive your car for 30 more days. Afterwards, your driver’s license is going to be revoked or suspended. In case you wish to avoid losing your license, you will have to file an official request to the DMV in order to initiate an administrative hearing.

However, losing license is not your biggest problem. There are two kinds of drunk driving offenses – DUI misdemeanor and DUI felony. In case no one was hurt during the accident and you simply damaged someone’s property, you can count on being charged with a misdemeanor DUI. However, if a person was injured or even killed during the accident, you are going to be charged with a felony DUI, which is very serious. Regardless of what kind of DUI crime you have committed, the penalties you will be facing are very severe.

Expensive fines (up to $10 000) will surely hit your budget. Furthermore, you may also be obliged to pay restitution to all the victims. Alcohol or drug awareness classes are also very common and you will have to pay for them from your own pocket. Even if you are not going to lose your driver’s license, you may still be obliged to acquire a special SR22 type of insurance that is specifically designed for high risk drivers. This insurance will cost you nearly three times as much as the standard one and it is a huge hit on your budget. In addition to all that, you may also be obliged to perform community service – hundreds of hours or unpaid labor.

These are not the worst penalties. If you were charged with a felony DUI offense, you may be sentenced to spend several years in jail or even state prison, which is a very harsh punishment. It is crucial to understand that the law enforcement authorities will do their best to convict you. In order to deal with the prosecution and the judge, you will need to hire a genuinely professional DUI lawyer in Sacramento, who will do his best to assist you.

Only a good Sacramento DUI attorney will have what it takes to go through all the available evidence against you in order to determine if the DUI arrest was lawful to begin with. Perhaps the police officers had no reason to pull you over in the first place and your case will then be dismissed.

If you were charged with committing a DUI crime, do not hesitate to contact a Sacramento DUI Lawyer Law Firm, a seasoned professional organization that had to deal with similar cases in the past.