In California, it is against the law to drive a car with a blood alcohol level (“BAC”) of 0.08% or higher and may lead to arrest for Driving Under the Influence (“DUI”). In fact, California law generally makes Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs illegal, an offense that can be tacked onto a DUI charge to create more severe consequences upon conviction.
A DUI conviction, even for your first time, can carry serious and sudden consequences if you don’t have a DUI Defense Attorney on your side. IF YOU HAVE BEEN ARRESTED FOR A DUI, YOU MUST REQUEST A HEARING FROM THE DMV WITHIN 10 DAYS OF YOUR ARREST, or your license will be automatically suspended for at least 6 months. If you contact Spiga & Associates today, we can take the immediate steps necessary to protect your legal rights and your license to drive.
DUI Sentencing
For your first DUI conviction, you could be facing between 2 days and 6 months in jail, along with fines up to $1800. You may also be required to attend a drug and alcohol treatment program and will be placed on probation for 3 to 5 years. As if that’s not bad enough, the DMV will revoke your driver’s license for 6 months, making it illegal for you to drive for any purpose at all. With proper legal representation, however, you may be eligible for a “restricted license,” or even just a shorter term of suspension.
A second DUI conviction can have very serious consequences, including 96 hours of mandatory jail time. With a Spiga & Associates attorney on your side, however, we can fight to get the term converted to community work service or we can advise you on the possibility of private jails instead of county lock-up. In addition to time in jail, a second DUI may also carry fines of up to $2800, and up to 18 months of substance abuse treatment. The DMV will revoke your driver’s license for 2 years, and you will be on probation for 3 to 5 years.
Time is of the essence since you only have 10 days from your arrest to request a DMV hearing, so contact Spiga & Associates right away and let us fight to protect your legal rights and your driver’s license.
