Top 10 DUI Mistakes to Avoid
When you get a DUI it can be a very scary and stressful experience. This is why when people are in that situation they often make mistakes that can end up harming their case.
These 10 tips will help you avoid making such mistakes before of after being charged with a DUI.
- Failure to Contact A DUI Lawyer IMMEDIATELY. DUI Laws are specific to every state and DUI lawyers know how to work with the laws the most effectively. Which in the end will save you a lot of money and stress. You need a DUI defense lawyer now!
- Requesting A Hardship License Without a DMV Administrative Hearing. Remember to only take legal advice from a DUI defense lawyer that you have retained. The arresting officer will likely tell you that in Florida you can get a hardship license immediately for your first offense. If you do, you will waive your rights and a record of “DUI School” and “DUI Hardship License” will stay on your record even if you win your DUI case.
- Failure to Request a DMV Administration Hearing Within 10 days. You can have a successful DMV hearing and have your license reinstated before your trial. Get in contact with a DUI lawyer to help you work through the process and keep your license before trial.
- Assumption that the case is lost if the blood alcohol level is greater than 0.08. Even though .08 is the legal limit for being charged with a DUI, there are a lot of factors that can be in place to cause that level to be artificially high like your blood alcohol test being given incorrectly by the officer.
- Assumption that your charge will just go away. A DUI is a serious crime. Just simply ignoring it or trying to solve it without any legal training or experience can have horrible and long-lasting effects for you and your record. Don’t do it.
- Failure to Properly Evaluate all Aspects of the Case. Having your blood alcohol level above the legal limit is only one part of the case. There are a lot of other factors that can work in your favor or in not your favor, which should be considered by a qualified DUI lawyer.
- Failure to understand the long-term effects of a DUI. Without searching out proper legal assistance, you won’t be able to understand the long-term effects of a DUI conviction. A DUI conviction can affect your personal and professional life. At the very least, your NEXT job may require a background check and a driver’s license history. Don’t take it lightly.
- Failure to write a narrative of events. The officer will have an account of events for your DUI case. You need to provide a narrative case, which will serve as your detailed explanation of how the events in question occurred.
- Failure to understand your fourth amendment rights during the traffic stop. A violation of your fourth amendment rights against illegal search and seizure during a traffic stop can take a front-row seat in your DUI case and can end in a successful case. A DUI lawyer will let you know if your rights were violated.
- Assumption that officer’s reason for the traffic stop is valid. Officers are human; they make mistakes just like anyone else. Some of which can involve not having a valid reason to stop you. If this happens to you a lawyer can use that to your advantage.
- (Bonus Mistake) Assuming that no prior criminal history equals special treatment. The arresting officer is not your friend. Your criminal history prior to your DUI will be an issue to the prosecution. Nevertheless, it is not wise to assume otherwise just because your record is clean. Drinking and driving drunk is serious, the prosecution will pursue charges to the fullest extent of the law.
