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DUI

5 Things You Need to Do If You’re Arrested for a DUI

Highway Patrol Police Car Next to Alcoholic Drink and Keys Under Spot Light.

There are few worse ways to end an evening than with an arrest for a DUI. Whatever the particular circumstances of your DUI arrest might have been, and regardless of whether you thought the police officer was fair in making the arrest, the situation anyone arrested for DUI is always the same: you face serious consequences if convicted for your DUI. This can include jail time, expensive fines and court costs, the installation of an ignition interlock device on your car, and skyrocketing insurance rates that can cost you tens of thousands of dollars over the years. You will also...

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What Are Your Legal Rights at a DUI Checkpoint?

California law enforcement has been cracking down on intoxicated driving in recent years, and one commonly used tactic in doing so is through DUI checkpoints. Several thousand DUI checkpoints are set up each year in California, with well over 5,000 individuals being arrested for a DUI crime each year at those checkpoints. A single DUI conviction can result in jail time, high fines, court fees, and increased insurance rates in the tens of thousands over the years. Thus, it is important to understand what rights you have at a California DUI checkpoint. DUI Checkpoints are Constitutional Normally, a police officer must have...

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DUI on 4th of July

DUI on the 4th of July A lot of images come to mind with our Day of Independence.  To name one of them: Drinking in celebration of our Freedom.  While most Americans can do this with moderation, others make the mistake in timing their decision to drive.  There isn't anything inherently evil about this.  Humans have celebrated with alcohol since the dawn of time.  But the trouble these days is that few are aware of what the legal limit is with respect to driving under the influence ("DUI").  More specifically, few have the internal awareness of what their level of impairment...

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6 Things DUI Cops Won’t Tell You

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="195"] Photo By Charles Roberts from Plano, United States (Plano Police Motorcycle Officer) [CC BY 2.0[/caption] This post used to say "5 Things DUI Cops Won't Tell You", however, new trends and created new issue in the field of DUI law.  Despite law enforcement's efforts to curb impaired driving, trends related to drug-influenced driving ("drugged driving") have sprouted in the last four years.  This has influenced the ways in which DUI officers have investigated their cases. It’s sometimes hard to grasp how complex DUI (“Driving Under the Influence”) arrests can get. Most people don’t really know what it feels...

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3 Reasons You Were Charged With a DUI Felony

When is a DUI a felony? How does a DUI Felony affect you?  What you can do about it?   In California, a DUI is what is commonly referred to as a “wobbler”; this means it can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony. Generally, in order to be charged with a felony DUI there must be aggravating factors that warrant that type of enhancement. These aggravating factors may occur when the DUI: Causes Death or Injury Is the Fourth DUI within Ten Years Comes after a Prior Felony DUI.   1. A DUI felony happens when it causes injury or death A first time DUI...

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How Long is a DUI on My Record?

For How Long is a DUI on my record? Once you successfully complete the term of probation, you can apply for an expungement to get the conviction off your criminal record. The value of this is that you don't have to disclose your conviction to employers. However, just because the conviction is expunged from your record doesn’t mean it is gone, it is still a priorable offense if you get another DUI within the next ten years. A priorable offense means that the court may consider another DUI within ten years when sentencing you on a second or third DUI. Can I get...

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What is Reckless Driving?

Reckless Driving What is it?  Is it better than a DUI?  How do I get one? Many who search for more information about their DUI and the law that governs it will come across the alternative plea of reckless driving.  Some believe it is not a DUI while others have been lead to believe it is exactly the same thing but with a different title.  Here is some information to clarify some of the issues that come with a reckless driving offense. Is reckless driving better than a DUI? In short, yes. A wet reckless is initially charged (almost always) as a DUI.  But...

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Criminal Charges on Your Record

Criminal Charges On Your Record The real consequences that come with having criminal charges on your record are very misunderstood. What most believe about their criminal record is motivated by their fear of the unknown. Like credit reports, we have no idea how much our lives will be effected by the decisions we have made or the challenges we have faced—and we may never get the chance to explain ourselves to the people that may be judging us for it. Information technology has changed everyone’s lives and it will continue to do so. Knowing who can access your criminal files and how it’s...

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Is it Child Abuse to get a DUI with Kids in the Car?

Is it Child Abuse to get a DUI with Kids in the Car? Consider the following scenario: You’ve had a wonderful family dinner at a mutual friends house with your children and spouse. You may have drunk some wine but nothing excessive. On your way home, you are pulled over and arrested for DUI. By the time you are booked into jail, however, you discover you are also being charged with child abuse. Many are shocked to discovery that getting arrested for a DUI can create even a deeper hole if there happened to be kids in the car while they were...

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Newport Beach Police DUI Jingle

It's lighthearted, doesn't go too far, and keeps to the point. Check out Newport Beach Police Department's holiday jingle to not drink and drive. Have a safe holidays everyone! Some Basics on DUI Arrests and DUI Charges Nobody expects to spend the night in jail for driving drunk.  That's the problem.  Few DUI cases involve someone actually being the kind of "drunk" that we think of.  There are PSA's out there that tell us "driving buzzed is driving drunk".  There's a little bit of truth to that statement in that many DUI clients (if not most) didn't think they were really drunk. The...

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