DUI means driving or operating a vehicle while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs. The medications may be over-the-counter, prescribed, or illicit. However, DWI can also refer to driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Your state will choose the specific definitions. Regardless of the name, a DUI or DWI charge is brought when a police officer believes you were too intoxicated to drive.
The impairment may be brought on by drugs, alcohol, tiredness, or other circumstances. Each and every state in the US has laws and regulations for such criminal acts. While drunk driving is often considered a misdemeanour in most places, repeat offenders may be charged with a felony. In all civilised states, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is illegal and a crime under the law.
Factors to be considered after getting a DUI
If you are found guilty of DUI in the United States for the first time, you will most likely lose your licence for a few months and be forced to pay a fine in the hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. A DUI misdemeanour may result in up to a year in jail, many years of probation, and the completion of required community service, driving, or drug treatment programs.
The following factors should be considered after
Contact or Hire a Competent DUI Lawyer
Your first step after getting a DUI should be to hire a competent DUI lawyer in your state. Lawyers and attorneys are professionals who are experts in their respective fields. Due to their expert knowledge and experience, they better understand the whole system, have knowledge of the severity or extreme level of your case, and can bitterly defend your right as such. The DUI attorney knows exactly what to do in that situation.
1. Your BAC Level
The following important factor to consider is your body’s BAC level. The repercussions may be more severe if the blood alcohol content (BAC) is higher. Adults generally have a DUI threshold of 0.08%, so the punishment will be harsher if yours is higher (especially if it’s more than 0.15%, which makes you subject to criminal charges). If drugs or other regulated substances impair you, there are equal measures. DUI defence lawyers and attorneys are experts in their speciality and can better handle cases relating to drunk driving.
2. Age of the Delinquent
The offender’s age is the next most important factor after a DUI. A BAC of 0.02% will be enough to convict you of DUI if you are a minor or under the age of 21. The DUI charges and procedures are different for different ages of delinquents. If the wrongdoer’s age is advanced and mature, he should be treated differently than young people.
3. The Type or kind of Vehicle You’re Driving
The type of vehicle you are driving is also an important factor to consider when facing DUI charges. You risk losing or having your commercial driver’s licence suspended if you commit the violation while operating a commercial motor vehicle, which is defined as an automobile transporting goods for sale or paying passengers. If your blood alcohol content is 0.08% or higher, your individual driver’s licence may also be suspended or cancelled. As a result, the type of vehicle and business you are carrying are also important considerations.
4. Your Previous criminal or violation history
Another important factor to consider is if one has a history of prior violations and the violation is repeating itself. Prior DUIs or moving violations may also impact the severity of your punishment. Most habitual offenders are dealt with harshly due to the repetition of their violations.
5. The Injuries Caused by Your DUI
Another important consideration after receiving a DUI is the number of losses caused by the DUI. Finally, you will face more serious charges if you injure pedestrians or passengers while driving drunk. So, the consequences are based on the amount of loss caused. If it’s only a financial loss, it will be treated differently. However, if human life is endangered, the offender will be dealt with accordingly. A DUI while driving a passenger vehicle is a more serious offence.
7. Driving with a suspended licence
Another crucial factor to be considered after getting a DUI is driving with a suspended licence. It worsens the situation if one is driving with a suspended licence and, on top of this, under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In almost all civilised states, driving with a suspended licence is an offence.
8. Minors or children passengers are in the vehicle
Another important factor to consider after a DUI is the availability of minors on board. This makes the situation more serious if minors travel in the vehicle with their parents or guardians and the driver violates the law or drives under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
9. Being underage
Driving while underage is an offence; what to say if he is also under the influence of alcohol or drugs? In all such cases, an experienced lawyer or attorney is the one who can handle your DUI case properly and can protect the rights of the delinquent.
Conclusions
From the above discussion, we concluded that driving under the influence of drugs is a serious offence in various situations, which carries a suspension of one’s driving licence, can cause harsh delinquent punishment, and may result in financial and health loss. In such situations, different factors are involved, and different steps have to be taken to make and control the situation by appointing or hiring a competent DUI Defence Lawyer or Attorney.