Did you know that Orange County in California is where DUI (driving under influence) violations get penalized at the highest rates? Kings County has the lowest rate.
If you live in California and have recently received your first DUI in California, you must be stressing out about all you need to do. Read on to see seven things you must do when you receive your first DUI offense charge.
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1. Challenge Your Driver’s License Suspension Right Away
As soon as you get a DUI arrest for alcohol, it triggers a process within the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) that could result in the suspension of your driver’s license.
You need to set a hearing to challenge your suspension right away because if you don’t, your license will be suspended 30 days after your arrest. If you request the hearing promptly, you can keep driving while you wait for your hearing, however long it takes.
2. Contact a DUI Lawyer and Get Them on Your Side ASAP
It is highly important to hire a good DUI defense attorney like Prentiss DUI Defense and get them fighting for your case right away. They fight DUI charges all the time and can help you fight your first DUI in the best way possible.
3. Keep Records of Everything
Until your lawyer can start helping you with this, you need to keep records of everything that happened when you got charged. Take pictures or record all conversations, so your lawyer has everything they need to fight your case.
4. Remove All Social Media Profiles Online
It’s a great idea to make all your social media profiles private, so the state can’t find anything unseemly about you. They will try as much as they can to get ammunition against you. You need to prevent that from happening at all costs.
5. Don’t Miss Any Court Appearances
The better behaved you can be when it comes to court appearances, the more favorably the judge will look upon you and your case. Don’t miss any court appearances and clean up when you go to these hearings, by wearing a suit or something formal (no flip-flops, baggy jeans, or lots of skin showing).
6. Try to Reduce Your DUI Offense Charge
A first DUI offense results in 3 years of informal probation and fines of $390 plus some penalty assessments. Your DUI lawyer will try their best to get you as least of a charge as possible.
7. Do Not Repeat This Mistake Again
A second offense DUI results in much more severe consequences, like a minimum of 96 hours jail time and 2 years of license suspension. Try as much as possible not to repeat your mistake, so you can stay out of jail and keep your record clean.
This Is What to Do When Charged With a DUI in California
The best-case scenario is that you follow all the steps listed above when charged with a DUI in California, and you were able to reduce your sentence or probation by quite a bit.
Hopefully, you found the article on how to fight a DUI charge useful and interesting. Keep browsing through our website for more.
