PENALTIES OF SOME TRAFFIC OFFENSES
(driving under the influence, traffic accident)
Most times people don’t recognize what they stand to lose should in case they are arrested for any traffic offense or the other. While some offenses seem to carry lighter sentences the question is “are these sentences really light?” A careful perusal of traffic offenses drivers are likely to face are listed in here along with the legal sentence that are pronounced on them. Perhaps this will enlighten you on the reason to have a traffic attorney protecting your rights.
Driving Under the Influence DUI /Driving While Impaired DWI
These two offenses can mean the same depending on the state you are in but most times they differ. While Driving under the Influence is the offense of having a Blood Alcohol Content in your urine or blood above the legal state limit, Driving while Impaired takes it to another level – being intoxicated by alcohol while driving. Driving While Impaired is often used for recreational drugs or prescription drugs. This implies that if you are on a medication that forbids you to operation any machinery, you will be facing a Driving While Impaired charge. Needless to say both refers to getting behind the wheels when you are not fit and both require a traffic attorney. None is worse than the other because both put your life and the lives of everyone that will come your way at great risk.
For the first offense (if it is your first time of being charged with a DUI) either you are convicted or your traffic attorney tells you to plead guilty, your license will be removed for a year and in addition you will be required to pay a fine. As lenient as this seems, it doesn’t stop there. When you want to retrieve your removed license, you will likely need an SR-22 insurance which will increase your premium by two to three times the former amount payable for three years straight.
For subsequent offense, without a good traffic attorney you stand the risk of facing a jail time, evaluation of your drinking or substance use patterns, mandatory alcohol treatment program participation, community service and in some cases you might be required to have an ignition interlock device installed on your vehicle that requires you to breathe into to check if you have taken alcohol. The ignition only starts when you pass the test. Needless to say, it is not a palatable experience and a good traffic attorney would have saved you the stress.
Traffic Accident
Most people don’t know that they can go to jail for being in a traffic accident especially if lives are lost. Yes, even if the act is not intentional. The sentence increases exponentially if it is discovered that you were driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs when the accident occurred. To put things in retrospect; most traffic accident that doesn’t involve the use of alcohol or drug won’t end in jail time because it is regarded as negligence. However, if the negligence is reckless for example driving on a one-way lane, or over-speeding way beyond the accepted speed limit, or being intoxicated while driving then you stand a high risk of being charged with jail time. If lives were lost, you might be charged with vehicular manslaughter. Needless to say it is not palatable but a good traffic attorney can argue your circumstances out.
The first thing a driver should do when he finds himself in an accident after calling the doctor is to call his traffic attorney, the timing is important so that the traffic attorney will gather the evidence that might vindicate you early. It is important therefore to have a traffic attorney near you.
In conclusion, there are countless other traffic offense drivers might face one time or the other. It is therefore important to have a good traffic attorney in other to keep your vehicle, your freedom and your license.