No one ever intends to drive while intoxicated. Yet after having a few beers, cocktails, or glasses of wine, it’s remarkably easy for a person to abandon their common sense and good intentions.
The result?
Over 300,000 incidences of drunk driving each day.
Being arrested for DUI has potentially devastating consequences. You could face jail time and fines. Your driver’s license may be suspended or revoked.
Even if you are allowed to keep your license and drive a car without restrictions, your car insurance rates will increase. And having an arrest on your record could affect your housing options, employment status, and even your ability to rent or buy a home.
That’s why it’s important to know the proper steps to take after a DUI arrest — even if you’re positive that you’ll never find yourself in this situation.
1. Cooperate Fully with Law Enforcement
If you are pulled over by police, cooperate fully with the officers and their requests. Resisting arrest will only result in added charges — and additional consequences. Becoming belligerent, angry, defensive, or argumentative isn’t going to help your case, and will probably harm it.
What about field sobriety tests? It is your legal right to refuse a breathalyzer test or other field sobriety tests. If you go to trial, the absence of test results may make your attorney’s job easier.
However, it’s important to realize that refusing a breathalyzer test comes with its own consequences. These include the automatic suspension of your license, hefty fines, and even a mandatory jail sentence.
2. Once You Have Been Booked Into Jail
After being arrested for DUI, you’ll be taken to jail. There, you will be fingerprinted, searched, photographed, and entered into custody.
The law allows everyone who is arrested to make one phone call, so make yours wisely. The best bet is to call a trusted family member or friend who can take steps to help you. First, they will want to contact a bail bonding agency.
Shortly after your arrest, a judge will set your bail amount. Bail amounts are usually prohibitively high — and for good reason. The judge doesn’t want you to skip town if charges are pending, and asking you to pay a high bail amount can help prevent that.
Here’s where the services of a bail bondsman come in handy. Your relatives or friends can get you out of jail by giving just a fraction of the total bond amount to the bondsman.
Luckily, this is also a fairly quick procedure. Many people who are arrested for DUI are released on bail with 24 hours. Once you are free, you can get to work on your legal case.
3. Contact an Attorney
Remember those life-altering consequences of DUI that we mentioned earlier?
An attorney can help minimize those consequences. DUI attorneys can negotiate to have your jail time reduced, lessen the fines you will have to pay, or even have the charges dropped altogether.
While it’s important to acknowledge your mistake, chances are you will learn your lesson simply from being arrested and jailed temporarily. Additional penalties are unnecessary. Hiring an attorney will help you get your life back on track much sooner.
Arrested for DUI in North Carolina?
Give us a call if you need fast, reliable bail bonding services. We never judge our clients or discriminate against them for any reason. We will guide you through the process, speed up your paperwork, and get you released from jail as soon as possible.
