A DUI charge can derail and complicate your life in multiple ways. From high fines to substantial time behind bars, to the potentially loss of your employment, this is not a charge to brush off. Officers often decide to make arrests based on what they deem are the results of field sobriety tests. This means people can find themselves facing a DUI charge even when they should not be. Being charged, however, is not the [...]
A DUI (Driving Under the Influence) or a DWI (Driving While Impaired) conviction in Maryland has serious consequences. The level of seriousness holds true whether the conviction is based on a DUI, where your blood alcohol content (BAC) is .08 or more, or your conviction is based on a DWI, where your BAC is lower, but there are other impairment factors. If you’re charged with a DUI/DWI, you may also be charged with the following [...]
When charged for driving under the influence (DUI) in Maryland, you may be facing penalties like fines, a suspended license, jail, or an ignition interlock device. You might feel overwhelmed and hopeless about your case. However, you may have another option, especially if this is your first offense. The “Probation Before Judgment” (PBJ) disposition can provide eligible individuals charged with DUI offenses another, more rehabilitative path. Probation Before Judgment is a disposition unique to Maryland [...]
Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol is not only dangerous; it is against the law in Maryland. If you are caught, you can be charged with a DUI and face the loss of your rights, significant fines, and potentially even jail time. Often, people share misinformation about drinking and driving, and that misinformation can lead people to make dangerous and costly mistakes. Today, we wanted to address some of the more common [...]
Blood alcohol content level (BAC) is the measuring stick for determining whether a driver is considered impaired. The legal limit across the country is 0.08%, which means that you will undoubtedly be arrested and charged with DUI when your BAC reaches that percentage or higher levels. Despite the laws stating 0.08% as the legal limit, a driver can be arrested and charged with DUI if he or she has any percentage above 0.00%. For example, [...]
Usually, when one hears the term “DUI arrest,” it is assumed the driver was under the influence of alcohol. However a DUI or DWI (driving while intoxicated) charge can also involve the consumption one of numerous types of substances that have the ability to impair the driving skills of an individual. In Maryland, you can face DUI/DWI charges for driving under the influence of drugs, whether illegal, prescription, or over-the-counter. Drugs affect individuals in different [...]
When you get pulled over for DUI in Maryland, the police officer will likely ask you to step out of the car and perform a series of field sobriety tests. He or she may also ask you to breathe into a little machine. Then, if you are taken to the police station, you may be asked to breathe into a completely different machine. This is because in Maryland, drivers suspected of being under the influence [...]
Driving under the influence is a serious criminal charge. If convicted, individuals face significant fines, loss of driving privileges, and time spent in jail. The seriousness with which the state of Maryland considers these offenses is reflected in its recent announcement – through the Department of Transportation in the state – that it will participate in a Learning Collaborative designed to tackle the problem of drunk driving statewide and reduce its occurrence. The state of [...]
Though the COVID-19 crisis has forced people to stay at home or limit their activities, there are still many drivers on the road. Police in Montgomery County and throughout Maryland are targeting drivers for speeding, DUIs, and other traffic offenses. Conviction for a DUI can result in prison time, substantial fines, loss of driving privileges, increased insurance premiums, and other consequences. The Patch reported that between May 18 to May 24, Rockville Barrack state troopers [...]
Maryland requires some drivers who are found guilty of driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated to install an ignition interlock device (IID) in their vehicle. Additionally, drivers can be required to use an IID due to an administrative suspension, or as part of their eligibility for a work permit license. According to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, drivers who participate in the state IID program will be required to use the interlock ignition [...]
Many people don’t have any idea how intoxicated they are before they get into a vehicle and start to drive. To ensure their own safety (and perhaps the safety of others), some people turn to personalized breathalyzers: devices that can be purchased by non-law enforcement individuals to test their blood alcohol content (BAC). Some bars and taverns may offer use of these devices, too, to test their patrons’ BAC. If the patron is drunk, then [...]
As we all know, Maryland and the entire country has laws that intend to keep drunk drivers off the road. If someone intentionally breaks these laws and is convicted of DUI or DWI, their driver’s license can be indefinitely suspended or revoked. Once this has happened to you, after you have served the conditions of your sentence, you may be able to apply to have your license reinstated. If you’ve had your license revoked, you [...]
After a DUI conviction or motor vehicle violation, the Maryland Motor Vehicle Association (MVA) will take steps to revoke or suspend your driver’s license. However, you may be eligible for a restricted license instead of having your license suspended or revoked. A restricted license is a way for you to continue to drive for the most important activities even after a license suspension, provided you follow and abide by all the rules of the particular [...]
If you’re convicted of a DUI, the immediate consequences that might come to mind would be a criminal record and loss of your driver’s license. However, for many people, the stakes can be even higher – a loss of professional license. Losing your professional license can cost you your job, future employment opportunities and the ability to earn a living. After putting in so much time, energy and money into your education and career, don’t [...]
It’s standard procedure in drunk driving cases to give drivers field sobriety tests and breath tests. If the police obtain a warrant, they can also demand that the driver submit to a blood test. The rules are different for drivers suspected of driving under the influence of narcotics. For starters, there is no breath test for detecting drugs in someone’s system. If the police officer suspects a driver was operating his/her vehicle while under the [...]
Many drivers lose their driving privileges due to a DUI conviction, their refusal to take a breath test, or because they accumulated too many points on their driving record. Drivers in Maryland can also lose their right to drive if they fail to pay their child support. The Motor Vehicle Administration and the Child Support Enforcement Administration (CSEA) work together to collect child support payments. Parents who fail to comply with their child support order [...]
Driving under the influence (DUI) is a serious personal safety and public health issue. Over a recent five-year period, drivers operating a motor vehicle while impaired accounted for roughly 1 in 3 deaths on the road in Maryland, according to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. On average each year, there are approximately 7,884 impaired driving accidents across the state, resulting in 4,026 injuries and 171 deaths. Driving under the influence defined If you are charged [...]
There are two parts to any Driving Under the Influence case. The first part is the criminal case where the driver’s guilt or innocence is established. The second part is the hearing before the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). The MVA hearing establishes what happens to your driving privileges as a result of the DUI conviction. Drivers can also be required to attend an MVA hearing if they need to contest a license suspension because they [...]
Most people who drive need their vehicles for personal matters, such as shopping and getting the kids to their games on time. Many also need their vehicles to commute to their jobs. For a large number of people, their job is their vehicle. Commercial drivers who haul freight and inventory lose their livelihood if they lose their right to drive. Drivers of commercial vehicles, normally larger trucks, need a special license called a commercial driver’s [...]
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), minors between 12 and 20 account for a 1/10 of the nation’s alcohol consumption. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, alcohol is a major reason why teenagers are involved in roadway crashes that result in fatalities; more than one out of every three deaths in the 16-20 age group are due to alcohol use. Across the country, adults who drink and drive can [...]
In Maryland, police don’t have complete freedom to stop any driver they see and give him or her a set of field sobriety tests. The first line of defense in any DUI case is whether the police had proper grounds to stop a driver and pull him/her off to the side of the road. The proper grounds standard in Maryland is less strict than the “probable cause” standard for obtaining a warrant. The police must [...]
Normally, the police cannot stop and/or search a person unless they have reasonable grounds to believe a crime has been committed. Under the law, law enforcement officers should obtain a warrant before arresting anyone, or searching them or their property. However, cases involving suspicious of driving under the influence are treated a bit differently. The police do still need reasonable grounds to stop any driver for DUI. Examples of reasonable grounds include observing a [...]
When you are convicted of a DUI in Maryland, you will lose your license for a certain amount of time, based on your prior history and the circumstances of your conviction. Once you get your license back, however, you are generally free to travel wherever you wish to go – unless you’re planning a trip to visit our Neighbor to the North, Canada. Before 2019 year, Americans who had ever been arrested or convicted of [...]
Most drivers who are charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics are charged with a state crime. Cases are heard in the county where the offense occurred or where the driver lives. There are some instances though where a driver can be accused of a federal DUI. Filing federal charges requires some federal involvement – typically that the offense occurred on federal property. Maryland has numerous federal roads, including the Baltimore-Washington Parkway [...]
Drivers who are charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI) face many penalties if convicted. They can be sentenced to jail or prison (depending on the type of charge), and be forced to pay substantial penalties and fines. Their insurance rates can increase, or their coverage can be cancelled. They can lose their security clearance, in some cases, too. One extra risk is that you will likely lose your driving privileges [...]
