What Happens when you get a DUI?

If you have been out drinking and decide to get behindbecause you felt fine at moment in time and your
the wheel and you have had one too many drinks youhouse was only one or two miles from the bar. On
are definitely at risk for getting pulled over andyour way home you are stopped by an officer on
arrested for DUI. The case against someone whosuspicion of DUI. You end up submitting to the PBT
eventually gets arrested for DUI actually starts beforeand register a blood alcohol concentration level of
the police officer pulls the suspect over. If the officer.07%, which is under the legal limit.
has either been informed of a potential drunk driver orYou would have been perfectly legal to drive home
is following someone he or she suspects has beensince your BAC was under the legal limit, but the
drinking, the officer will start videotaping and observingofficer has established that you are in fact near the
your driving habits before initiating a DUI stop.legal limit. You are more than likely going to spend an
When the officer finally pulls you over he is going tohour or so at the scene where you were stopped
approach the car and ask the obvious question ofbefore the officer will take you down to the police
whether you have been drinking. The officer isstation where you will have to submit to the official
continuing to establish his probable cause at this point.chemical test. All the while your BAC level is continuing
Most people who have been drinking will undoubtedlyto increase.
give an answer such as "I've had a couple of drinks"By the time you actually submit to the official chemical
or something to that effect.test, your BAC level is now risen to .08% or greater
The officer already suspected you of driving under theand you are now over the legal limit and official
influence before he pulled you over. Once you tell himcharged with a DUI offense. If this is a first offense DUI
that you've had a couple of drinks, that is all he needsarrest, and depending on the state you will be facing
to hear in order to finalized establishing his probablepotential jail time anywhere from 24-hours up to a
cause to subject you to some field sobriety tests andyear or more in jail. First offense fine amounts can
an initial breathalyzer test. One thing that most peoplerange anywhere from a couple hundred dollars up to
are not aware of is that the field sobriety tests that anseveral thousand dollars. Hiring an experienced DUI
officer subjects a person to are completely voluntary,lawyer to represent you in court will cost between
but the officer is not going to tell you this.$2,000 and $5,000 depending upon where you live and
As far as the preliminary breathalyzer test or PBT forthe complexity of your case.
short, this is a mandatory test. When a person refusesOne of the biggest impacts on a person's way of life
to submit to this test it is viewed as an admission ofwill be the driver's license suspension or revocation
guilt, because if a person had not been drinking, theyperiod by the DMV. Before the DMV reinstates your
would really have no reason to refuse the preliminarylicense or issues you a restricted license you will have
breathalyzer test.  In most states if a person refusesto show them proof of an SR22 insurance policy in
to submit to a breath test their drivers license isyour state. You will be required to keep your SR22
immediately suspend or revoked and that person is nofiling with the DMV in force for a period of 3-years.
longer eligible for a restricted drivers license if they areSR22 insurance for DUI offenders will cost between 3
found guilty of DUI.& 5 times as much per month as the offender
Let's say for instance that you had been out drinkingwas paying for auto insurance before being arrested
and had a few drinks and decided to drive homefor DUI.