James R. Balmforth: Can A DUI Ruin Your Life?

One leading cause of death and one of the top causes of debt is driving drunk. Celebration, prom or special events are typically when driving drunk is considered some of the deadliest times. The alcohol consumed by the drinker can affect other people as well as himself.

Driving under the influence or (DUI) has serious consequences associated with it. Driving drunk can cause the loss of your license. Losing your license takes away the freedom and privilege of going wherever you want whenever you want. During this time you have to ride the bus or beg someone to give you a ride. In the end it turns out to be a huge a hassle, but not as bad as some of the other consequences.

If you decide to get behind the wheel after drinking you are risking not only your life but the lives of others on the road. If you get in an accident and someone dies the penalty is on you. The result of this could be a guilty conscience and/ or a year or more in jail. If your friend is riding with you and they die, you won’t ever be able to see them again and could cause some people to have deep depression.

Lastly and least important, are the fines behind it all. Depending on your case the normal fines can be more, but on average it runs about $300 to $1,000. This doesn’t include court fees or attorney fees. Another fee you’ll have to pay is your insurance rates will rise in order to cover some of the damages. Also, you will have to pay for any damages to other drivers’ car or hospital bills. This, as you can tell, gets really expensive and will cause huge debt.

The statistics are true but still won’t keep people from driving after they have been drinking. One thing they always say is that they didn’t drink that much. But it doesn’t take much to get drunk. With one little decision, you can save thousands of dollars and most importantly save lives.

How would you feel if you have to pay thousands of dollars, lose your driving privileges, remain in jail and keep a mark on your driving record? Sounds horrendous, right? These are simply some of the things that you may likely face once you have been convicted in a driving under the influence (DUI) case. In order for you to put up the best defense, it is always good to look for the help of a qualified DUI attorney.

DUI penalties can be far-reaching, both emotional and legal. Such effects are exceptionally severe and regulations are getting more and more strict specifically when it pertains to fines and prison time. Aside from paying thousands of dollars that can be imposed on you by judges, there are many more repercussions that you can likely face and these include the following:

License revocation for one to ten years (or even more)

Court expenses

Alcohol education and learning program fees

Vehicle towing expenses

Ignition interlock program expenses

Driver’s license reinstatement penalties

Paying high fees and charges can cause you to lose lots of money while staying in jail can give you a bad reputation or even lose your job and career. It is, therefore, vital to get in touch with a DUI attorney to ensure that you will get proper legal representation. DUI repercussions can ruin your freedom and life as a whole in numerous ways. You need to protect your legal rights.

If you failed to acquire a restricted license, you may additionally have to pay for other transportation means like taxi or bus fare. You could likely face high insurance premiums too as soon as your record turns up a DUI conviction. There are simply a lot of negative effects that come with a DUI arrest and conviction. Perhaps, you have recognized by now that any conviction might spell financial disaster.

Prior to getting in your car after drinking alcohol, think once more! You are not only placing your life at risk but additionally the life of other people once you hit the road. Whether you have been arrested or not, it is important to educate yourself about what you can potentially face in such a DUI situation. Speak with a DUI attorney right away after you have been arrested to learn about your rights and things you must not tell without appropriate defense. Having an attorney on your side can easily make a large difference in your DUI case.

Everything that we do has a result. And the result comes into two kinds which are negative and positive or bad and good. Well, negative result is leading to consequences that may ruin our life. This does not mean that you will be totally broken but there may some aspects in your life that are affected like your emotions.

Driving under the influence or what is commonly called as DUI is a violation of the law. Anyway, it could be considered as a crime that will lead you to face serious consequences. Some of the consequences are a DUI arrest, suspension of license and paying of high fines. You can face it by looking for an aggressive DUI lawyer who can stand with you in the court. Yes, he can protect you in some means that may lessen the burden in your part. Anyway, there are some things that could hardly be taken away from yourself. These are the feelings that will stick in your life for a long time because of that traumatic incident ( being charged of DUI). Hence, the most affected part is your emotion.

Emotionally Bothered

It already happened. It is already in your mind that you had done something that must be avoided, but you did it. A person in a normal stage of emotion will be bothered of what he did. DUI is a violation and what bothers to a person who is being charged of that violation will feel bad. He may be ashamed for he knows the law but he never followed it at all.

The Feeling of Failure and Depression

Let me ask you, “what will you feel if you failed?”. Perhaps, you will be depressed. I am talking here about the failure of abiding the laws. You didn’t able to apply what you know as you are living in a society run by the law of the land. DUI law is a part of a nation and almost everyone in the community have an idea about it. And it is impossible for a certain driver or a motorist to be innocent about it. For sure, a license is for a person who has an idea of traffic law and drunk driving. You have a license, so I bet that you have an idea about DUI. As a conclusion, you failed of applying that idea while you are in the midst of driving.

Shame And Guilt

Being imprisoned because of DUI? Oh, it is a little bit embarrassing in your part especially if you are handling a title as a person known for having a good reputation in the society. Of course, there is a possibility that your name will be affected. Your family and friends will surely be worried about you because of that. What if you had hit somebody while you were drunk while driving. And what if that somebody died or paralyzed? Now, what will you feel? To tell you, DUI is not just a violation of the law, but it is already a crime. Affecting the life of other person because of your act will surely give you a feeling of guilt.

As tough as the law is on people who choose to operate a motor vehicle while intoxicated, society can be just as harsh. It doesn’t matter if someone was injured or property was damaged as a result of your choice, you can’t afford to be seen and treated as villain. Even though you may have felt that you weren’t that intoxicated, according to the law, you were inebriated enough to be charged with a crime. When you find yourself in this type of situation or in one similar to it, don’t waste any time. Find a good DUI attorney and have them handle your case.

The penalties you face for such a crime are very steep. They can include jail or prison time, fines, restitution, revocation of your driving privileges, counseling and more. Don’t forget the havoc this situation can wreck on your personal and professional life. The aftermath of people who find themselves in this type of situation often causes them to have to put their life on hold for quite a while.

A DUI attorney can help you overcome this situation. Instead of trying to come up with a good excuse that you can use to justify your mistake, a good attorney can use the law, their skills and other resources to help get your charges reduced or dismissed. When you think about things, you can’t really place a price on your future. If you don’t want to end up with your future being cut short, take some time and hire a credible lawyer to get you out of this mess.

If you are not really thrilled about the idea of hiring a DUI attorney to take care of your case, ask yourself if you can afford to be found guilty and endure the steepest consequences as a direct result of your actions? In addition, the fines and restitution you will have to pay, the possible prison sentence, and your reputation will be ruined. You will have to deal with the aftermath of your credibility being shot. Any employer you meet with in the future for a job or to advance your career will take a look at this blemish and decide to pursue more morally upstanding candidates. Even if this is the only time you have been in a situation like this, the damage that is caused can be irreversible if you don’t have a DUI attorney take care of it.

Even if you do get off with a slap on the risk and a very minimal sentence that involves no jail time, you still need legal counsel to make it sure that this does not go on your record. If this is a subsequent offense for you, you need a good lawyer to make sure that you are held accountable to the full extent of the law. Law enforcement agencies everywhere frown upon DUI offenders and prosecutions will use their best tactics to secure a guilty verdict and give you the maximum sentence possible. Hire a DUI attorney to protect your rights and keep you from being railroaded in court.

A driving under the influence (DUI) charge is something that affects normal people every day. Contrary to popular belief, they are not relegated solely to drunks and winos stumbling out of the watering hole after five hours of hard drinking and fall-sitting into the driver’s seat. In fact, the majority of the DUI charges are actually levied against people between a.08 and a.12 blood alcohol content (BAC). For some smaller people who may not have a large diet, this could be as few as three beers. Think back to the last time you had a few drinks after work and drove home. You probably didn’t think anything of it at the time, but there’s a good chance you were actually over the limit.

Fast forward through the event itself. Once it is said and done, there are serious ramifications on your life after the fact. I’ll focus on Utah because it is the state I am from and am most familiar with. Here, the biggest shock to most people is that they now have to spend ten days in jail, with the first being the night of their DUI.

Aside from the bewilderment of being incarcerated for the first time, there is also hefty financial damage done. According to the statute, the fine totals at $1,250. This does not tell the whole story, however. Many people are ordered to get an ignition interlock device. You have to purchase this device yourself, and up to several times a month report to have the results checked by a state-verified technician. You must pay for each and every one of these visits as well. If you are placed on probation, which you could be for up to five years, you must pay a probation fee as well as other costs associated with the course your probation officer assigns you to. Those assigned to counseling must pay for this out of pocket as well. When it is all said and done, $5,000 is a low estimate.

If that sounds intense, consider this: that is for first time offenders with a BAC between.05 (if impaired) and.15. If you look at the high end for a first-timer (above.15 BAC) you are looking at $2,500-$10,000, thirty days in jail, and you must attend the counseling and receive an ignition interlock device. In either case, your license will be suspended for ninety days. Some of this can be abated if you have a reliable DUI lawyer, however, nothing is certain.

After it is all said and done, you will be thousands of dollars shorter and have done some jail time. Many people lose their jobs due to not having a license for ninety days, and can have serious social or professional consequences due to the stigma of a DUI.

The best way to avoid a DUI is simple: Don’t drink and drive! The limit is much lower than most people think, and those times when you think you are “good to go,” you could be stopped and arrested and suddenly find yourself in a cold cell without dinner. There are commercially available BAC machines or strips to check yourself before you leave a bar, and I always recommend people have a good DUI attorney’s information with them. The bottom line is, if you take the risk of drinking and driving, those three beers could cost you a chunk of your freedom AND your cash!

DUI Lawyer Free Consultation

When you need legal help with a DUI in Utah, please call Ascent Law LLC (801) 676-5506 for your Free Consultation. We can help you fight a DUI charge against you.