What To Do After a DUI Arrest
Immediately after release from being arrested for a DUI in Georgia, there are some steps you can take to help your case. Although you may just want to put the event behind you and not think about it, you have to acknowledge the reality of the situation, and act quickly so that you'll have the best chance to win your case. There are some things that can wait, but when it comes to a Georgia DUI, time is of the essence.
One of the most important deadlines after a DUI will affect whether or not your driver's license is suspended. When the police place someone under arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol, they will take away their Georgia driver's license, and issue a temporary driving permit. This is just a piece of paper that acts as your temporary driving permit for 30 days. After 30 days, you will lose your driving privileges. But that doesn't mean you can wait 30 days to try and stop your suspension, because if you look closely at the temporary permit, you only have 30 days to fight the automatic suspension.
After a DUI arrest, the Georgia Department of Driver Services will suspend your license for up to a year, or longer for multiple DUIs. This is an administrative procedure, and does not depend on whether you are eventually found guilty in a court of law. Known as an administrative license suspension (ALS), the only way to prevent it is to request a hearing to fight the suspension. You only have 30 days after an arrest to request an ALS hearing. Your Atlanta DUI defense lawyer will be able to file the 30-day letter, submit the administrative fee, and represent you at the ALS hearing so that you can keep your license to drive.
It is important to keep the whole event in perspective. You were arrested for a DUI, but an arrest is not a conviction. It is the court who decides whether you are guilty or not, not the police. The police may have treated you guilty, but they are not the ones who decide whether you have a criminal record, go to jail, pay fines, and lose your license. If you think the police were wrong, the time to fight that battle is in court, not on the side of the road or in a police car.
Another thing you can do after a DUI is to write down everything that happened. It may be difficult to remember everything, but you should document everything you can remember in as much detail as possible. Especially important are what the police officer said and did, from the time you got pulled over, to the arrest, and any blood, breath or urine test. It may not be apparent at the time, but the police are required to say and do certain things. If the police make a mistake, they may be violating your constitutional rights.
When you contact an Atlanta DUI lawyer, having the information from what happened during the arrest will help your lawyer to identify possible defenses for your case. Experienced DUI lawyers, with field sobriety test training will be able to see if the police did not adequately instruct you on roadside tests, or chemical testing. This can be used in support of your ALS hearing and your criminal court case, to have charges against you dismissed or reduced.
Atlanta DUI Defense Lawyer
If you or a loved one have been arrested for driving under the influence in the Atlanta area, your license will be suspended if you don't act within 30 days. Call me today, so we can discuss just what happened in your case, and I will fight for you to keep your license to drive, and keep a clean record.