Why it is important to find a DUI Attorney
DUI (Driving Under the Influence) is a serious offense and if you have been charged with a DUI or driving drunk you should seek legal help at once from a DUI attorney.
Each year, states enact stronger DUI laws and more severe drunk driving penalties. You could lose your driver's license, be placed in jail and fined substantial fees. Your car insurance rates may rise and you could end up with a criminal conviction on your record that could impact your future and your employment opportunities.
Using a DUI attorney or DUI Lawyer who focuses on drunk driving defense could make a difference in the outcome of your case. This is why it is important to use DUI.com to locate a qualified DUI Lawyer in your area.
DUI.com is a national directory of drunk driving defense attorneys. Most of the DUI lawyers and attorneys listed in our directory are members of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National College of DUI Defense as well as certified in administering the standardized field sobriety test and intoxilyzer breath test. The DUI attorneys on DUI.com limit their practice to primarily DUI/DWI and drunk driving defense. It is important that you chose a criminal defense lawyer who primarily dedicates their practice to DUI defense, because they know the DUI laws and drunk driving consequences in your state. Choosing the right DUI lawyer may help you save your driver's license and get your drunk driving charge reduced or even dismissed.
How Is DUI.com Different From Other Drunk Driving Websites?
DUI.com is an offender-related website that is designed to help those that have been charged with a DUI or DWI to find DUI lawyers. This does not mean DUI.com advocates driving drunk. It means that we have been counseling those arrested for driving under the influence (DUI), driving while intoxicated (DWI) or drunk driving for over 20 years and understand the particular problems associated with drunk driving arrests and charges.
Drunk driving offenders need a criminal defense lawyer who's law practice is primarily in the field drunk driving defense and is a qualified DUI lawyer or DUI attorney. DUI and DWI offenders may need assistance in understanding Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) administrative per se (APS) and administrative license suspension (ALS) / administrative license revocation (ALR) laws.
DUI.com collects and shares specialized information and provides products and services (program fact sheet PDF download) to help individuals who have been arrested for DUI, DWI or driving drunk navigate the consequences of their drunk driving arrest.
Since the Department of Motor Vehicles has asked police to take drivers' licenses upon drunk driving arrest (administrative license revocation), some persons are immediately interested in getting their drivers licenses back. This requires an individual to quickly obtain an SR-22 form (SR22) from their auto insurance company, agent or broker and file this "Proof of Financial Responsibility" form with the DMV or DPS. We offer direct insurance quotes for those seeking to lower their skyrocketing automobile car insurance rates due to a DUI, DWI or drunk driving charge.
Others are concerned about going to court and the possibility of going to jail. They, therefore, must seek the advice of local DUI attorneys or a DUI lawyer who's practice concentrates in drunk driving defense - someone who knows the DUI Laws and rights of those arrested for driving under then influence. For example, if your were arrested for DUI in Los Angeles, you would want to hire a Los Angeles DUI attorney or Los Angeles DUI lawyer. If you were arrested for a DUI in Chicago, you would want to hire a Chicago DUI attorney or a Cook County DUI lawyer
Meanwhile, the issue of a drinking problem or substance abuse is a subject that the DUI, DWI or drunk driving offender may be faced with. DUI.com provides information related to substance abuse, alcohol, drug and drinking problems.
For individuals concerned with the long view, DUI.com offers information on drivers license and criminal records that will help those arrested for drunk driving understand the consequences for future employment, financial, medical and other background record investigations.
DUI.com provides useful, balanced, prevention - and education - based information for individuals trying to find help after a DUI, DWI or drunk driving arrest, and has been doing so for over 20 years.
What is Driving Under the Influence?
Driving under the influence (DUI) is a term used by most states, including California, Florida and Pennsylvania, for being legally intoxicated or impaired while operating a motor vehicle. The threshold for legal intoxication is typically when a breath, blood or urine test registers a blood alcohol content of 0.08%. Minors under the legal drinking age may be declared under the influence at a lower BAC percentage. Similarly, law enforcement may arrest a motorist for being impaired even when their BAC is lower than 0.08%.
DUI is referred to as DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) in eight states, including New York and Texas, and OVI/OMVI (Operating a Motor Vehicle while Intoxicated) in Ohio. For the most part, the acronyms are equivalent and represent being charged with drunk driving. In a few circumstances however, DUI may represent a lower offense in a DWI state. Having a BAC higher than 0.08% would be called a DWI while a DUI would apply to motorists with a BAC of less than 0.08% who are still deemed to be impaired and thus incapable of driving safely.
The penalties vary for a DUI offense. Specific laws can be reviewed for all fifty states by using the links below.