Whether this is the first of the fourth time you or someone you love has been charged with driving while intoxicated, impaired, or under the influence, it may be in your best interest to discuss your situation with a drunk driving law firm Washington DC drivers are fortunate to have in their midst.
Any time a person gets pulled over can be scary. It can be horrifying to get pulled over in Washington DC when you know you may have had one too many. The District of Columbia takes a strict and aggressive stance toward all driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI) or operating while impaired (OWI) violations (the aforementioned acronyms are often used interchangeably even though they do in fact have unique definitions) . A DUI is a criminal charge that may result in fines, jail time, license suspension, points on the convicted person’s license, and raised insurance rates, to name a few of the hardships that come with a DUI conviction. A DUI usually stays on a person’s permanent record forever. While many people who are convicted of a DUI or DWI are in fact guilty of this crime, many people who are charged with one of these get charged wrongly or inappropriately.
Fighting a DWI without the help of a lawyer can be tricky. If you think you may need help in upholding your or a loved one’s rights, a member of Cohen & Cohen’s legal team is available to talk to you to give you a free case consultation and free case evaluation. Our law firm has been in the business of successfully fighting for the rights of our clients for over 30 years. Someone is available to take your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. If you think you may need the help of the reputable car accident lawyer DC is fortunate to have available to them, give us a call today.
To be charged with a DWI, a driver must be either operating a vehicle or in physical control of a vehicle while having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or more. This means that a person who is just sitting in a parked car with the ignition on and with a BAC of .08 or higher can be charged with a DWI because they were in “control” of the vehicle even though it was not being driven. In theory, an officer of the law can pull over someone that they suspect is driving while under the influence but the reality of this is that very often, a driver gets pulled over for a minor traffic violation or a fix-it ticket, etc., and it is only after this that the officer suspects the driver of driving drunk. As well, there are situations where police officers do not adhere to the protocols for making drunk driving arrests. An example of this is that DUI checkpoints are supposed to be run according to their rules, including things such as only questioning every third driver (for example). If it turns out that the police questioned someone at random and charged them with a DUI, this charge may be invalid. An experienced lawyer may be knowledgeable about these and many other things that may be helpful in recusing a person of a DUI charge.
For a highly rated drunk driving law firm Washington DC residents can count on, call Cohen & Cohen
