DUI Attorney in Pittsburgh
You spent a great night in Pittsburgh, and after more than a few drinks, you decided to take a ride. After a few minutes, you were pulled over by the police. You were charged with a DUI, and had to spend the night in jail. As a result, your driver’s license was suspended and you had to pay certain fines and penalties.
This is a common situation that occurs every day. If this is you, be thankful that you are still alive and well. Did you know that after drinking, your chances of ending in a car accident increase by 40 percent?
Here is everything that you should know about DUI charges in Pittsburgh.
The Basics
Once you are pulled over for drunken driving in any state in the United States, the following will happen:
-
You will be tested for your alcohol levels
-
You will be taken into the nearest station and will have to spend the night there (in case you are drunk)
-
You will have to pay fines
-
You may get your driver’s license suspended
-
You may have to appear in court
-
You will be arrested and booked
-
You may have to attend drunk driving school
Arrested
The first thing that will happen once you are arrested on suspicion of drunk driving is you being placed into a police vehicle and taken to jail or the nearest police station. You will be photographed (a mug shot), your fingerprints taken and voila, you are officially in the system.
Some states offer immediate bail. Sadly, Pennsylvania is not among them. You will be held for a certain period (usually until you sober up).
Note: If this is your first DUI, you may get away with a warning and could avoid paying fines and fees (it depends on the level of alcohol in your blood; the lower, the better).
Speak with Pittsburgh DUI attorneys as soon as you get a chance, and seek their help and legal representation. If it is possible to help you receive minimal punishment, attorneys will take care of it.
Losing Your Driving Privileges
In all U.S. states, once you are pulled over for DUI, regardless of what time this is that you are being pulled over, you will lose your driving privileges for a certain amount of time. Once again, if this is your first time, you will probably have your driver’s license suspended for 3 to 6 months (or even 1 month if you had very low alcohol levels in your blood). However, if you keep getting pulled over time after time, with each new stop you will receive a more severe penalty until your driving privileges are completely and permanently revoked.
Paying A Fine
The police officer will pull you over if he has a reason to suspect that you are intoxicated. If you are pulled over and convicted of driving while intoxicated, you will have to pay a certain fine. And just like every other punishment listed above, the fine will also depend on the level of alcohol in your level, as well as whether or not this is your first time.
Another factor that affects the size of the fine is whether or not you caused any damage. For instance, if you were involved in an accident, or if you damaged another party’s property, the fines will be more severe. Keep in mind that you will most likely have to pay the court costs associated with your case.
Feel free to reach out to DUI attorneys in Pittsburgh and seek legal help. If you have been in any way mistreated, or if the officer forgot to read you your rights or use a breathalyzer, you could walk away without any penalties. Let attorneys investigate what happened; give them a call as soon as you can.
Going To Jail
In the past few years, many states have adopted the jail terms for DUI offenders. Even if this is your first time, without a good attorney, the chances are that you are going to jail (for a night or two). If you caused an accident, injured or killed someone on the road, you are looking for a long period behind the bars.
Most first-time offenders who did no damage to anyone and had just-above-the-limit alcohol in their blood will have to spend 24 hours in jail (it can be served on the weekend). However, with an experienced attorney, this can be avoided. If you do not have an attorney on speed dial, call them today and DUI attorneys in Pittsburgh will make a plea to try and keep you out of jail and with minimum penalties.
Repeat offenders will spend months, even years behind bars. Any aggravating circumstances connected with their DUI cases will only increase the penalty.
Appearing In Court
When you are arrested, you will be given a ticket with a date that you have to appear in court. Once there, if you deny the charges and act as if nothing happened and that you are innocent, the court will play the footage from the officer’s dashboard camera (or the one from the jail where you were processed). If proven guilty, you will only face additional penalties.
So lying is not an option. Better to accept what you have done and embrace the consequences than to try and lie your way out.
Remember that your only chance of getting a reduced penalty is obtaining help from a well-experienced attorney. Have one of your family members contact Pittsburgh DUI attorneys at SMA Law Group, and available attorneys will start working on your case right away.
You will most likely have to complete the terms of your probation, attend the drunk driving school (if you want your driving privileges returned to you) at your own cost (you have to pay the attendance fee), and speak with a trained counselor who will evaluate you and decide whether or not you are fit to drive again.
On top of everything, you may be required to carry the most expensive auto insurance for three years (the SR-22 insurance). And all of this because you thought it was a good idea to drink and drive. Perhaps next time you will think twice before getting behind the wheel.
