Owning a driver’s license in the state of California comes with a plethora of responsibilities. It’s quite easy to lose your driving privileges once you have been charged with a drunk-driving offense and you don’t take the proper and immediate action. It should be borne in mind that the penalties and other legal consequence arising from DUI charges are relatively harsh. This is especially the case when the situation is attended by one or more aggravating circumstances. Thus, if you possess a California driving license and you just had the worst luck of being charged with a DUI violation, your immediate course of action should be to seek the assistance of an experienced DUI defense attorney.
Let’s expound more on these legal consequences one has to face when he’s charged with DUI violation in the state. First of all, a DUI charge carries with it two separate cases. One is a criminal charge which deals with the drunk-driving offense per se. The other is in the form of an administrative charge which is under the authority of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). This is the charge that has to do with sanctions against you driving privileges. From the moment an arrest was made, the offender basically has only ten (10) days from such arrest to schedule a hearing with the DMV. Otherwise, the DMV will base its decision solely on the report of the arresting officer. There’s also a slim chance that the department will not heed the report seeing that it is uncontested by evidence to the contrary. If the report calls for the revocation of your license, the DMV will most likely uphold that.
Now assuming arguendo you have managed to save your license with the DMV, there’s still the criminal charge which you have to contend with. In the event that you get convicted for DUI whether for alcohol or drugs or even both, your license will be automatically suspended along with your having to serve a jail term and pay specific fines. Second, third, or convictions for more times onwards will lead to a longer suspension period of the license or possible revocation thereof. Moreover, DUI charges or subsequent convictions are not the only ways your driving privileges can get threatened in the state. Getting a ticket for a traffic law violation, evading a peace officer, or failure to complete the Designated Driver Program may also result to suspension or possible revocation of your license.
If you have been cited for any of these violations in the state, contact an experienced DUI defense attorney immediately so that all the available remedies may be exhausted.
