A DUI charge is extremely serious because of the potential risks involved. The intoxicated driver has a slower response time and poorer judgement, which means that they are much more likely to get into an accident than a driver who is sober. By now the dangers of intoxicated driving are well known, which means that those who engage in that kind of activity have little excuse for doing so. All of this means that anyone charged with a DUI conviction faces serious penalties and punishments.
However, it is possible to avoid those penalties or get them reduced with the help of a DUI attorney. They can contest the charge to get it dismissed or they can reduce the sentence of the convicted driver.
When you consider how severe the penalties for a DUI can be, hiring a lawyer is not just a smart choice, it is the only choice. If you live in Orlando and have been charged with a DUI, then contact DUI lawyer Parikh to get the help you need.
Penalties for a DUI
The penalties for a DUI charge vary from state to state and they change depending on whether it is a first offense, second offense, and so on, with the penalties getting harsher with the number of offenses. In Florida, the penalties for a DUI are as follows:
Fines -- A minimum of $500 for a first offense and a maximum of $4000 for subsequent offenses.
Imprisonment -- No more than six months for a first offense and up to five years for subsequent offenses.
Licence Revocation -- A minimum of 180 days, but revocation could be permanent in more serious cases where a person was harmed or killed in an accident.
Vehicle Impoundment -- Ten days for a first offense and up to ninety days for subsequent offenses. Exceptions can be made if family members of the driver need it for transportation.
DUI Crash That Causes Property Damage or Minor Injuries -- A maximum fine of $1000 or a year in prison.
DUI Crash That Causes Serious Bodily Injuries -- A fine of up to $5000 and/or five years in prison.
How To Avoid a DUI Conviction
In order to avoid a DUI conviction, you will need the help of an experienced DUI lawyer because they will know several different methods to help their clients avoid the legal repercussions of a DUI charge. One of the things they can do is to contest the legality of the traffic stop that led to the DUI charge. They can argue that the officer had no right to stop the driver, which means that if the stop was invalid, then anything obtained from the stop would be inadmissible.
A DUI attorney can also dispute the efficacy of any of the sobriety tests conducted on the suspected driver. There are three different types of sobriety tests to which a suspected DUI driver can be subjected: a breathalyzer test, a field sobriety test, or a blood test.
A breathalyzer test can be inaccurate for a variety of different reasons, such as poor maintenance, plus there can be medical conditions that could cause a false positive reaction in the test.
If a person fails a field sobriety test, then there can be several legitimate reasons why other than the fact that they were intoxicated. Blood tests are the most accurate method of determining intoxication, but the blood samples can get corrupted if they are not stored or handled properly.
A good DUI attorney can use any of these arguments to explain why their client should not be charged with a DUI.
Contact an Attorney If You Want To Avoid a DUI Conviction
A DUI conviction can have a serious impact on your life, your driving privileges, your driving record, and even your insurance rate, so you want to avoid one as much as possible. The best way is to avoid driving while intoxicated of course, but if that happens and you get pulled over, then the next best way is to hire an attorney.
An experienced DUI attorney will know all the methods to get their client out of a DUI charge. So make sure to contact a DUI attorney as soon as possible if you have been charged with a DUI.
