Avoid Committing a DUI Offense, and How Lawyers Can Help You If You Do

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Inside the United States, more than 280 million people own a car. For some, driving is something so rooted in their lives that they can’t imagine living without such a convenient, useful tool, and considering how practical a car can be, this is not really a huge surprise.

However, driving has its complications, and there are many legal requirements for people to be able to peacefully drive on a road, mainly because of said complications. 

First of all, a person needs a driving license that ensures that he or she knows all the basics and laws involved in the process of driving a car, and you also need legal documentation of the car. In a lot of places around the world, including the United States, you also need insurance, thus, there are many preparations required to drive.

This is the way in which the law protects not only those who are driving, but those who are not, since driving is a very delicate practice, and it requires the driver to be both mentally and physically prepared to handle it.

The Reality of the Situation

Sadly, not everyone follows the rules, and it is very common inside the United States for people to be fined and charged for not abiding by the law. A very common problem, especially during festive holidays, is people getting charged for something known as a DUI fine. In fact, it is said that 3 out of 10 Americans will, in some way or another, be involved in traffic accidents because of alcohol.

That is why DUI fines exist. Also commonly referred to as a Driving Under the Influence charge is a charge that is placed upon people that drive when they are under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol is well known for being an intoxicating beverage that can heavily affect someone’s capabilities at almost everything, but it is mainly infamous for reducing someone’s coordination, awareness, reaction time, and of course, decision-making skills. This state of mind of often referred to as being drunk.

Thus, someone who drives while drunk is an incredibly dangerous factor to not only themselves, but to other drivers, and even people who are not driving. It is very common for drunk drivers to not only cause damages to public property but also injure themselves and others, potentially causing fatal injuries in the process. You can also learn more about DUI and its charges by visiting the given link. 

Why You Never Want to Get a DUI Charge

Driving under the influence is considered a very serious offense. There are three main categories of DUI offenses:

  • Misdemeanor Offenses, which are commonly placed upon people who are over the legally accepted alcohol blood levels.
  • Felony Offenses, which are the ones placed upon people that have, in some way or another, caused damages to public property and other people.
  • And manslaughter offenses, which are the ones placed upon people that have caused fatal injuries to other people.

Depending on the type of charge you get, you might end up getting in jail, getting an extremely pricy fine, or getting your driving privileges revoked. At times, these charges might stay in your history forever, reducing your chances of getting a job in specific industries and fields. 

Considering that, DUIs should be absolutely avoided under all circumstances. However, as mentioned earlier, we know more than well that not everyone is excited about following laws, especially when it comes to driving.

Being the Devils Advocate

Don’t get us wrong. Under any circumstance, people should ever drive while drunk or intoxicated. It is a very irresponsible thing to do, and it puts you in danger as well as others. That is why you should never try to drive while drunk, no matter what.

However, we do understand the temptation and the circumstances in which people might consider the idea of driving while drunk as something reasonable or not as dangerous as the law, and other people, proclaim it to be.

Most people out there end up driving while drinking because they don’t initially understand the seriousness of the offense. Some others just prefer to do it because they might get away with it if they are lucky. And others, just prefer to do it because they don’t actually think about alternatives and solutions.

That is why we believe that people should have at least a minimum understanding of the seriousness of a DUI offense, while also having a way of handling the situation even before it happens. Thus, we will showcase some things people can do to avoid driving while drunk.

The Things You Can Do

Let’s say you have decided to be prepared for the occasion. You know for sure you will 100% get drunk this weekend, either because you have a special event coming up, or just because you and your friends want to let out some steam and enjoy the occasion. Regardless of the situation you are in, you know that you are most likely getting drunk, thus, you want to be responsible.

First of all, we have to let you know that we are proud of you for taking the initiative. This is something that should be done by everyone, and more awareness should be spread when it comes to driving while drunk. You are not only saving yourself a lot of headaches and problems but also, you are ensuring your and other people’s safety!

Now, the best approach to the situation you can take, include:

Previously preparing a countermeasure

If you know that there’s a chance you are getting drunk, you can prepare some countermeasures for it. For example, you can take a taxi or Uber to take you to the location, or right away ask a friend or family member to pick you up once the party is over.

You can also talk to a friend or an acquaintance to take you home, or look for a nearby hotel before leaving your house or talk with a friend to let you stay the night.
Decide who’s going to drive

A very common practice among friends is deciding who is going to drive among your friends. This is something that should be decided beforehand and never during the night based on who’s the least drunk since this increases the chances of bad things happening.

The person who takes the role should under any circumstances, drink, and ideally, the role should be rotated between your group of friends so everyone enjoys every time you all decide to go out. A very good thing to do for the person who is, in turn, is get them free drinks once next time you party.

If there’s someone inside your group of friends that doesn’t enjoy drinking, that person is the perfect candidate for the role.

Take Responsible Actions

If you believe that you are going to get drunk, you can always be responsible about it. For example, don’t allow yourself to drive by taking a taxi or an uber instead, or having someone constantly paying attention to your actions. You can even sleep in your car as well! The same can be said for your friends: Pay attention to them, and if you can, call a cab to take them home if they get too drunk.

Always refuse to get inside of a car if the one who’s driving is drunk, and try to always eat something or drink water while you are drinking alcohol to reduce intoxication levels.

There are many things you can do to avoid drunk driving, as mentioned in https://www.wikihow.com/Help-Reduce-Drunk-Driving,  you only need to be responsible about it.

Worst Case Scenario

Let’s say that, by chance, you ended up ignoring most of the advice showcased in this article. There are plenty of reasons for this to happen but is mostly related to the inability of people have to take action and make responsible choices. Regardless of the case, you are now driving under the influence of alcohol, what do you do?

As said earlier, drunk driving should never be done under any circumstances, but there are ways to ensure that the chances of suffering an accident are reduced. This should be your top priority under said circumstances, thus, you should make sure to:

  • Acknowledge how drunk you are, and accept the fact that you are driving while inebriated. You do this to accept the fact that you should be more careful than ever
  • Make sure to use your seatbelt
  • Drive as slowly as you possibly can, and pay attention to your surroundings. Make sure to have little to no distractions as well, such as music, phones, or someone talking to you
  • Try to use safe roads with little to no traffic, and if possible, avoid driving during concurrent hours

Dealing with a Checkpoint

Things do get more complex once checkpoints are involved, and this is usually the reason why people get fined besides being involved in some sort of car incident. Before you get drunk and even decide to drive while drunk, you should accept the fact that there’s a chance that you will be dealing with a checkpoint, thus, you might end up getting a DUI charge.

The best thing you can do to manage the situation as peacefully as possible is work along with the officers dealing with you, and be as polite and responsible as possible. There’s a chance that you might not get a fine at all, but it all depends on how drunk you are. If you are absolutely drunk, it is always better to be fined for it than try to resist the situation.

To ensure that the procedure goes smoothly, you should pull over as gently as possible, and have your window down to let the officer talk directly to you. Always show your hands holding the wheel, and wait for instructions.

The officer handling your situation will likely ask for your documents. Tell them the location of said documents and ask for permission to retrieve them, then, slowly move your hands to handle the required documents for the procedure.

The officer will more likely react based on the situation. If you are clearly drunk, or you have drunk companions with you, he or she will probably ask whether you drank or not. You can either be honest about it, lie, or refuse to answer. Generally speaking, it is always recommended to go along with the situation and be as cooperative as you possibly can, to ensure the best outcome.

If you are clearly drunk, they might either ask you to engage in a series of exercises that will test your balance and motor skills under the influence of alcohol or ask you to take a portable breath test. There are two possible outcomes:

  • You either didn’t drink that much, and you are free to go
  • You get arrested and charged for driving under the influence of alcohol

Lawyers and DUI Charges

car accident

Now, you can either handle the situation by yourself or hire a lawyer to help you out. Regardless of the decision you make, you are in for an incredible ride that might take a lot of time, and money, to be dealt with.

Ideally speaking, if you are dealing with your first DUI charge, you might want to hire a Tempe DUI Lawyer, and I recommend visiting My Local DUI Lawyers if that’s the case. Because of the way the law handles DUI charges, though, you should have a solid idea of how lawyers can help you out.

First of all, lawyers have a chance of reducing the seriousness of the charge you will receive, based on the circumstances behind the charge, including how drunk you were, whether you caused damages, and whether you took or risked someone else’s life. This is completely dependant on the situation, so you might as well not have a lot of expectations with this.

However, lawyers can help you reduce the amount of time, effort, and money you might end up investing in the whole process. They might also help you out when it comes to handling documents, permits, and requirements needed for the procedure to go smoothly, and they might also provide valuable advice and information to recover your driving privileges in case they are revoked. 

Generally speaking, you’ll learn a lot from having a lawyer guide you during the whole adventure, and it will prepare you for the next possible charges. Ideally, however, there shouldn’t be any more similar occasions if you learned from the experience