subject: What To Expect When Charged With A DUI in Baltimore Along with a Helpful Guide To Dealing With It Safely [print this page] What To Expect When Charged With A DUI in Baltimore Along with a Helpful Guide To Dealing With It Safely
Driving Under the Influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI) and Driving drunk (DWI) are serious criminal offenses within the State of Maryland. Your license they are driving is confiscated on the spot and you risk losing your privilege to drive for approximately four or more months. As a result of your arrest you face jail time, points, large fines, ridiculous insurance increases and possible loss of employment. If you were faced with driving under the influence, you'll need all the assist you to could possibly get - which is in which the services of the Maryland DUI attorney might help mitigate the harm.
If This Is Your First Offense . . .
Under new Maryland drunk driving laws that took effect on 1 2009, if you are convicted of drunk driving the very first time as well as your blood alcohol content (BAC) level was over .08, you could be sentenced to some jail term of up to a year and fined around $1000. If you were transporting a minor during the time of the offense, these penalties can be doubled. In addition, your driving privileges is going to be suspended for any minimum of 6 months.
Subsequent Offenses
Fines and jail sentences increase substantially after the first conviction. After a third conviction, the offender faces a $3000 fine, 3 years in jail and loss of driving privileges for a the least eighteen months. If however, the offender was transporting a small at the time, jail terms and fines are increased by one-third (so, $4000 and four years). The higher penalties also apply if injury or death is involved - in addition to any criminal or civil penalties.
Stricter Standards
Minors and commercial drivers are held to much stricter standards with regards to driving and alcohol.
In the state of Maryland, it's illegal for persons younger than 21 years to possess or consume alcohol based drinks. Therefore, a minor could be charged and convicted for dui if any amount of alcohol is found in the machine; a BAC level of .02 has a $500 fine. In addition, the person faces minor-in-possession charges.
Because of their responsibility for public safety, commercial drivers will also be subject to lower BAC limits; .04 will warrant conviction on a drunk driving charge.
Although the Constitution states that one is innocent of the crime until proven guilty inside a court, Maryland's Implied Consent law offers what comes down to a legal exception with regards to drunk driving offenses. If stopped on suspicion of drunk driving, you have the right to won't undergo testing (blood, breath or urine); however, your driving privileges are automatically revoked for any duration of four months for the first refusal and one year for subsequent refusals.
DUI and DWI cases are handled on the county level, and procedures change from one county to another. So get a telephone to obtain counsel from the lawyer who's acquainted with the courts of the county under consideration.
A DUI lawyer may be able to get a driving privileges restored under certain conditions; for instance, you may be permitted to drive to and from work should you install an interlock (a device that disables a car's ignition if alcohol exists in the driver's system). You may even avoid incarceration for any first offense by enrolling in an alcohol treatment plan.
We understand that this is probably your first contact with the criminal justice system and it is a serious and frightening event. Most people are unfamiliar with Maryland's complex web of DUI/DWI laws, they do not know their legal rights when they find themselves handcuffed and relaxing in the rear of a police patrol vehicle. For example, you do not have to perform any field sobriety tests when requested to do so, and actually, you shouldn't do so. Also, you have the absolute to speak with a lawyer before giving any breath or blood test.
The officer probably never told you that before suggesting that you give a breath sample. You may have been offered or given an initial breath test or PBT which is different from the formal breath test. Your officer was required to advise you of additional rights if you performed this test. Understanding the Maryland DUI laws is important for you and important to a successful defense. We know Maryland DUI law and we have a proven track record for success. Contact us and see what we should can do to help you.
If you have been charged with dui in Maryland, you face a number of potential punishments; probably the most serious is facing a year or even more in jail. Additionally, if charged with a Maryland DUI or DWI, you are able to lose your privilege to drive for four or more months regardless of whether you are ultimately found guilty in court. Therefore, it is crucial that drivers be familiar with Maryland DUI Laws and their rights within this difficult situation so that they knows how you can effectively cooperate with the police while protecting their rights under the law. As a result of practicing within the specialized section of Maryland DUI Law for more than a decade, we are able to impart significant experience and proven leads to assist you to understand our DUI Laws and also to defend your charges in Maryland's Courts.
We provide a variety of information regarding Maryland DUI penalties, Maryland MVA hearings and Maryland sobriety testing. A Maryland DUI charge is really an offense with unique criminal proceedings and regulations. We possess a team of experienced Maryland DUI lawyers who successfully defend clients facing Maryland DUI charges. Our offices can be found all through out Baltimore, our Maryland DUI attorneys will never be far away. Therefore, regardless of where you live in Maryland or in which you were charged with a DUI, we can help.
A Maryland DUI attorney works along with you from the moment of the arrest for a Maryland DUI. Our Baltimore DUI attorney are trained to evaluate every aspect from the arrest, including field sobriety testing and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) chemical testing.
