You may be wondering why the penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or even medical prescriptions are so high, as if there are no bigger crimes. Well, we assume that the point is in prevention. Police officers control the drivers all over the world and punish them if they catch them intoxicated, to raise the awareness of safety on the roads. We guess that the number of car accidents or even traffic deaths is big, so they’re doing their best to reduce it.
What is DUI/DWI?
In general, DUI (driving under the influence) and DWI (driving while intoxicated) represent crimes committed by operating the vehicle while not being sober or straight. Of course, you’re allowed to have a defined amount of alcohol or other substances in your blood, but not too much. Yet, if you exceed the permitted amount and you get caught, you may face various kinds of criminal punishments such as community service, losing your license, jail, fine, etc.
Nevertheless, we understand if you spontaneously drink somewhere once in a while and you decide to enter your vehicle anyway. Or when you’re intoxicated, but you just have to drive home because leaving your car in the other part of the city is not an option. There’s no driver who didn’t break this rule at least once in a lifetime. Yet, in case you’re struggling with this habit, it’s more than necessary to hire a skilled attorney – and here are some benefits of having this kind of assistance.
Experience is a must
An experienced attorney is familiar with all the rules and laws – especially the latest ones. It’s their job to keep track of recent changes and updates in this sphere. Their knowledge and previous work can help you minimize the criminal sentence, avoid jail, etc. The good news is that many of them offer free consultations where you can discuss your situation and decide what would be the best plan.
Economy
A good specialist can save your nerves, time, and money and they’re quick in estimating the circumstances of your case, which could spare you from long and exhausting trials. Also, a true expert analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the case competently and easily so the whole process lasts shorter. But most importantly, you don’t make any bad moves and decisions since you have their assistance, which pretty much shortens the whole process.
Shorter sentence
If it’s your first offense, you will most likely get a plea offer, but if you’ve already been charged before, things get more complicated. Since you probably don’t want to take any risks with these kinds of things, the best thing you can do is hire a reputable attorney that can successfully reduce penalties thanks to their history of successful DUI cases. They will know the best way to assess whether it’s better to admit the guilt or to defend yourself, how the prosecutor would react etc. Therefore, make sure you choose wisely.
Potential dismissal
A skilled DWI advocate pays off – they’ll diligently work on your problem, trying to find all the shreds of evidence, arguments, and advantages. It’s even possible that they work may result in the dismissal of the charges, especially if you’ve never been accused of anything like a speeding penalty or penalty for not wearing a belt before.
Contacts
Your advocate has surely worked with other people involved in the traffic section and they’ve probably already cooperated with a bunch of local police officers. Or they might have a friendly working relationship with the prosecutor. By doing the same job for years, they get to know each-others and get familiar with each other’s principles and manners. The chances for negotiation and reduction are higher, as your advocate may be able to predict the actions of the prosecutor or judge and act according to that.
Clean record
To be honest, no one likes to have a criminal record – it usually has good chances to ruin your reputation, especially if your job is closely connected with wheels, roads, and trips. Yet, many of us get into trouble like this at least once – but you shouldn’t panic. Depending on your history and case, a reputable lawyer can sometimes erase the DWI from your record, which can be a rather life-changing move and spare you many inconveniences.
You can get your license back
A lot of DWI offenses end with suspension or driving disqualification. Unfortunately, we live in a time of pandemic, so many of us avoid public transport – and even when we didn’t live in such times, we probably always prefer to have our own transportation. Losing your driver’s license implies having to take a taxi every day to go to work and back (which isn’t cheap) or having to walk more than you are used to. This may make you feel handicapped, so the best way to avoid this is to get a qualified lawyer who’ll do their best to accelerate the process of getting your license back if you lose it – or at least do everything to keep it.
A proper defense when being innocent
At times it happens that we’re somehow involved in certain problems even though none of that is our fault – and this happens in traffic, too. Sometimes you’ll be accused of things you did not do. As we read on Silk Cooper in their article named ‘Rockland County DWI Lawyer’ – ’the police do a good job, but they’re people, and people make mistakes’. If a similar thing ever happens to you, you’ll need to prove that you weren’t wrong, as you probably wouldn’t want to go to jail due to someone else’s mistake. What’s for sure is that you won’t be able to defend yourself all alone, which is why you need to pick a good specialist who can process the information in the right way and help you prove your innocence.
Choosing your advocate is like choosing a psychiatrist – it needs to be someone who’ll know your whole story, without skipping little details and without lies. It’s someone we trust and someone to whom we leave our problems, in hope that he will fix them, which is why we recommend you to hire skilled, professional people for this role. Let’s assume you don’t have problems with the law every single day – so once you get them, make sure you afford yourself the best specialist you can find.