Table of Contents
The DUI, driving under the influence of drugs, is the crime or offense of driving or controlling a motor vehicle while being impaired by alcohol or other drugs (including recreational drugs like cannabis and those prescribed by doctors) to a level that renders the driver unable to drive safely. Getting a DUI may result in the end of the normal life. It is a very very serious offense.
The criminal offense may not involve the actual operation of the vehicle, but may instead include being physically “in control” of a drunk car, even though the accused person is not driving. For example, a person found in the driver’s seat drunk and holding the keys to the car, even when parked, may be charged with the offense. After all, it is a very serious offense and can endanger lives.
If only people planning on drinking would play it safe by making arrangements for someone to drive them home after the party. If your intentions are to drink alcohol, you surely know by now that getting a DUI for drinking and driving can result in all kinds of fines and suspensions that can ruin your life.
In Minnesota, the crime of drinking and driving is known as driving while intoxicated or DWI. The person driving doesn’t drive in a smooth, orderly fashion, but is all over the place, being under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Getting a DUI may result in the end of a normal life
The penalties for driving under the influence in Minnesota will depend essentially on the exact circumstances of each case and the number of previous offenses a person has.
In Minnesota, there are certain factors that can aggravate your DUI and actually increase penalties. These are having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or more. Also, having a child with you who is under the age of 16 can also be another reason that aggravates your DUI.
You can lose your very livelihood
Before you drink and drive, do you realize the terrible consequences of a DUI conviction? Do you realize that in this day and age when jobs are so hard to come by, that you could actually lose yours? Getting a DUI may result in fines that can amount to thousands of dollars.
It can even result in jail time. It is bad enough when getting a DUI is your first time, but if it is your 2nd or 3rd time, things get a lot more serious.
Getting a DUI may result in you behaving in such a way that everything becomes so embarrassing you can’t bear to face your colleagues and look them in the eye. Maybe jail time then is a blessing in disguise – out of sight, out of mind. Another consequence of drinking too much alcohol is that you are no longer clear-headed, you make one foolish error on top of the next.
You lose your sense of judgment and this can be highly dangerous. Robots, other cars, pedestrians all become a blur, and many times drunk drivers wake up from their drunken stupor to hear that they caused an accident where people were killed.
Getting a DUI may result in you first being pulled over by a traffic officer and being questioned. The officer is all the while determining if there are other signs that you are driving under the influence. They notice the blood-shot eyes, the slurred speech, the odor of alcohol, and your jerky, inconsistent movements.
The traffic officer asking for a sobriety test does not have to have you complying. If you are arrested, you can first speak to an attorney for advice.
There are different lawyers – make sure yours is skilled in DUI
It would be very important for you to contact an experienced St Paul Minnesota DUI Defense Lawyer. Without getting hold of a lawyer, your outcome can seem pretty bleak.
There are different areas of law and attorneys have a different area of focus. You do not want to look for an attorney whose specialty is divorce.
It needs to be an attorney in Minnesota whose specialty is DUI. Lawyers like this keep up to date with DUI and will know exactly how to represent you in your DUI case.
Getting a DUI may result in a host of administrative penalties and jail time. You would think that jail time should be enough to make any person think twice before getting into a car and driving while drunk.
Under certain circumstances, you can have your license plate seized, your driver’s license suspended, your car impounded plus lots of fines. Without a car and without a license, you can lose your job to crown it all.
A lawyer is imperative for getting your life back
In Minnesota, the penalties with a DWI conviction can be so severe that it is unthinkable to try and get your life back in order without the assistance of a skilled, experienced Minnesota DUI lawyer.
