Understanding the Penalties of Drunk Driving
A Sacramento DUI Attorney can help you understand the penalties of DUI.
California DUI penalties are constructed and made to provide serious and harsh consequences for all the inappropriate driving behaviors which are considered reckless and perilous. These penalties are designed to make drivers and car owners be more responsible and discourage them from driving while under the influence of alcohol. However, there are drivers or car owners who choose to drive though drunk, and others are just wrongfully accused. Fighting against a DUI charge and its DUI effects, car owners or drivers can find legal assistance when a Sacramento DUI Attorney is hired.
An experienced and skilled DUI attorney knows all the elements involved in a DUI case especially the penalties. In the state of California alone, conviction for the offense of Driving Under the Influence is greatly associated with strict punishments and penalties. The minimal DUI penalties and punishments the court can apply include the following:
- First DUI offense. A mandatory jail time of 48 hours is carried out. A person charged of DUI is also required to go to a DUI school. The required number of hours for this penalty is dependent on your blood alcohol level. Usually, the law requires 12 hours or as much as 45 or in other cases, it depends upon the discretion of your DUI Lawyer Citrus Heights. Regarding the driver’s license, it is in the full discretion of the Department of Motor Vehicles if a restricted California Drier License will be issued. Fines can increase from $1400 to $1800 and court probation is from 3 to 5 years.
- Second DUI offense. A mandatory jail time of 96 hours is done. The number of hours to go to a DUI school is increased to 18 months. A list of DUI schools is maintained by The California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. A person charged with DUI will have to face the consequence of getting a 2 year loss of California Driver License. Fines which include court fees and costs amount to $1800 to $2800. The number of years of Court probation is still the same.
- Third DUI offense. A mandatory jail time of 120 days is given to a person who committed DUI on a third offense. The required number of hours to go to a DUI school is exactly the same with the second DUI offense. Loss of California Driver License is increased to 3 years. Fines still remain as well as the number of years of court probation but there is now what you call Formal Probation. The latter is the act of reporting to a Probation Officer regularly.
- Fourth DUI offense. A person who has committed DUI for the fourth time or more have to face penalties such as three years in state prison and permanent loss of driver’s license. This offense may already be regarded as a felony DUI or misdemeanor DUI especially if anyone was hurt or injured.
Knowing these penalties may fully persuade drivers and car owners to avoid driving under the influence of alcohol. But when the worst thing happens, a reputable Sacramento DUI Attorney is needed to minimize or reduce the possible penalties one will face.
Wet Reckless: a Sacramento DUI
A Sacramento DUI can be a pain.
A Sacramento DUI Lawyer can make it better.
Read more to learn about what a Sacramento DUI Attorney can do for you.
In Sacramento County, a Sacramento DUI Lawyer is a person to know if you have been accused of driving drunk. A wet reckless driving charge is one in which a motorist is arrested for reckless driving while under the influence. When a defendant pleads guilty or nolo contendere to his or her drunk driving offense, this will often be the result. The record will show that you were convicted of a wet reckless driving charge rather than a DUI. The only exception is if you are arrested and charged with a similar offense within a ten year period. If you have been picked up for driving under the influence, contact a Sacramento DUI Lawyer Sacramento DUI Attorney immediately to assist you with this.
In California, if you ave no prior DUI offenses a Sacramento DUI Lawyer Sacramento DUI Attorney can help get the charge listed as a wet reckless driving charge. With this plea, the maximum jail time is 90 days and you will most likely be given probation for one to two years. The presiding judge may also give you up to twelve hours of alcohol education and/or substance abuse prevention. This is a lesser penalty that a standard DUI conviction.
If you do not hire a Sacramento DUI Lawyer Sacramento DUI Attorney, you may end up with a DUI conviction. In California, this type of conviction can result in mandatory jail time, up to five years of probation, a court mandated six month license suspension along with possible DMV administrative license suspensions. The drunk driving laws are extremely complicated and can be difficult for the average person to understand. This makes the consequences unknown in many cases. What makes this even more complicated is the fact that penalties may vary between judges, counties and courts.
When you do hire a Sacramento DUI Lawyer Sacramento DUI Attorney, Sacramento DUI Lawyer Sacramento DUI Attorney he may be able to advise you to hold out for a lesser charge. If this is not possible, he will help you to maneuver the system and achieve the best results. You may have your license suspended and the charge will go on your record for ten years. Your insurance premiums will go up in most cases also. Just be thankful it isn’t much worse which may be the case if you go to court without an attorney.
Sacramento DUI Lawyers always offer free initial consultations, feel free to call at anytime.