When you are arrested for a DUI violation in the state of California, your driving privileges are at great risk. Even if it’s a first time DUI, suspension of your driver’s license will be meted out as a penalty. It’s even worse if you commit a second or third DUI because the suspension periods become enhanced and there’s the huge possibility that your license will be revoked. Hence, the moment a charge is made, you have to act as quickly as possible and seek the aid of a competent DUI defense attorney practicing in the state. It will also be of great help if you understand the finer details on how to go about saving your driver’s license in California.
First and foremost, any owner of a driver’s license in the state of California should be aware that the moment a DUI charge is made on his person, he only has a maximum of ten (10) calendar days from the arrest to contact the Department of Motor Vehicles and schedule an administrative hearing. If you become complacent about this, chances are you will lose your driving privileges altogether. You may not even be eligible for a restricted license in some cases. The ten-day period should be reckoned from the time you were arrested and issued a Suspension/Revocation Order and temporary driver’s license.
Note that there are actual cases of these DUI charges wherein the offender was not given the said Suspension/Revocation order or so-called “DMV paper” in layman’s terms. If this happens to you, the more that you should act quickly because the DMV can still take action against your driving privileges even in the absence of such DMV paper. In fact, it is to your disadvantage if you do not have that DMV paper from which you should have counted the ten-day period for the administrative hearing. It is very essential now that you should immediately get in touch with your DUI defense attorney in order for the proper legal steps to be taken in your behalf to save your license.
Moreover, you should also be aware that the temporary driver’s license endorsement given to you will only be valid for thirty (30) days from the date it was issued. This is not to be confused with your court date because the proceedings with the DMV are independent and separate from the criminal proceedings against you in court. You have to be quick to distinguish these two proceedings just in case the arresting officer may attempt to mislead you that such temporary license will be good until your court hearing date. For more updated information on how to save your driver’s license, consult with our experienced DUI defense attorneys today.
