Have you ever experienced somebody telling you that you cannot use your driver's license? How about, undergoing the hurdles of a suspended, revoked or restricted license? Well, for all you know your state's License Hearings department is not a place for you to be alone. This is for the reason that when you are suspected, accused, charged or has been asked to pullover for Driving Under the Influence (DUI), saying goodbye to your driver's license temporarily or permanently is one of the inevitable scenarios an offender may face as a consequence.
Yes, suspension of your license is just one of the many penalties one may face for offending the law on drunk driving. Here in Florida, for instance, a DUI penalty can be of three things: harsh, intense or severe. Following the suspension of your license, comes the idea that the driver or the person will no longer have that freedom to drive his or her car anywhere, which then can affect his or her day-to-day activities. As we all know, having your own car is very accessible especially in going to school, work or just spending your leisure time.
Aside from the restriction of the license, one of the DUI penalties is jail time. At this point, when the suspected offender was proven guilty he or she will spend some periods in the local county jail. Usually, it may take weeks, months or years depending on the severity of the situation or the frequency of the offense. Jail time may take a period of years if the DUI offender was found guilty of vehicular homicide. The term pertains to the instance when the accuse have other person's involved that were either hurt or injured at the time when he or she committed the violations.
Another DUI penalty would be a fine. This is the most common, aside from the suspension of the driver's license, and the immediate one as well. The fine oftently starts at some hundred dollars but may also go up thousands more, still depending on the number of times the offenses were done. However, if the offender cannot pay a certain amount of fine, he or she can have the option of extending some hours serving the community. DUI classes are also one of the penalties. The person found guilty for DUI is mandated to attend such classes which involves open fora, counseling, film viewings and testimonials. Probation is yet another DUI penalty as well as the installation of an Ignition Interlock Device. The latter is an instrument that measures the alcohol content of a person. The device will be installed to the offender's car and should be used before and after the person will go out of his or her vehicle. Adding to these is the possible increase of the car insurance premiums. This is a possibility because there are car insurance companies that sets an increase in the event they've known of certain offenses made by their clients.
Already have an idea how severe a DUI penalty can be? Then, better remember to be a responsible driver and a law abiding citizen. Also think many times before hitting the road again especially when you have a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.20% or higher.
Mia Rinaldi is a DUI attorney in Florida. Before joining the field of law, she was once charged with a DUI penalty. She now resides in Orlando and currently helps those traffic offenders of DUI.
