Dealing with DUI

In the event that you or someone you care about has just been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, this can be a challenging time packed with questions and uncertainty.

 - Will I go to jail?
 - Will I lose my driver’s license?
 - What’s going to happen to my car?

These and many other questions could very well be bouncing around in your head, and it may be difficult to get clear answers from the government agents you must contend with.

Here are a few things that you need to know right away to prevent consequences from being worse than they might otherwise be -

 - Alcohol takes time to absorb and it takes time to dissipate. Same goes for drugs, prescription, over-the-counter, or illegal. You’ll probably want to have an independent blood or urine analysis conducted as soon as possible after your initial release from custody. The results may be able to be used to question the government’s chemical test results. Blood and urine tests can be arranged with your doctor or a private testing laboratory.

 - In most states, a DUI arrest results in two parallel actions – one by the courts and one by the Department of Motor Vehicles or its equivalent that issues driver’s licenses. The driver’s license issuer may move to suspend or revoke your driver’s license. In most cases, you’ll have the right to appeal this action, but you must request such a hearing often in a very short period of time. Be sure that you request such a hearing, or have your attorney do it for you, before the deadline passes. To check your state’s laws, use the ‘STATE DUI LAWS’ button above.

 - The consequences for DUI convictions seem to increase with each legislative session. You need someone on your side that is qualified to spot all the issues in your case and can act quickly to protect your interests.