Getting arrested for anything, ever, is decidedly not a pleasant experience. It is also not a good future investment, as having a record of any sort can negatively affect many different areas of life. One such case is the unfortunate event of being slapped in irons for driving under the influence of alcohol or other mind-altering substance. Today we are going to take a look at the many different areas it can impact, and some ideas on how to minimize the damage which we picked up from a DUI defense attorney in Nashville, TN.
What can happen after a DUI?
Your license can be suspended. Many states will grant you the exemption of driving to and from work, if your circumstances are right, but this is a dice roll. If you are not granted this exemption, you will burn money on cabs, private drivers, or bus fare every day. Cabs and buses can be pretty unreliable, so you might get in trouble for being late to work. Moreover, if you do a job that requires you to drive, you are basically toast.
You may be subject to mandatory firing. Many employers nowadays include in contracts the note that conviction is grounds for instant firing. If this is your employer too, you are likely to lose your job. To make it worse, employers who enforce this policy typically mandate a notification as soon as you are arrested.
You risk losing your professional license. Many fields of work, such as law, medicine, education, even plumbing, require you to disclose any arrest to your licensing agency. Depending on the policy of the agency itself and on your state legislature, your license could be affected or outright revoked, once again leaving you out of a job.
Your commercial driving career is done. If you make your living as a commercial driver, you may be best off immediately looking to re-qualify over into another field of work, because a DUI history will stay on your commercial driving record for another fifty five years.
It will mess up all future job applications. Most states allow employers to look into your arrests and conviction history when you apply for a job. Even if they are not allowed to look outright, the information about your DUI will still be in your driver’s license records, not to mention public records.
It might damage your education opportunities. A large number of universities and colleges will inquire into your criminal history. Getting landed with DUI can severely impact any applications for financial aid. You may be required to submit proof of having completed a treatment program, or they may deny you any aid altogether.
How can you relieve the DUI trouble?
Having said all that, your best bet is to simply not drink when you know that you will have to be driving somewhere afterwards. Instead, try the sober ride services which exist to safely transport drinkers and their vehicles. You can find a list of these services and their contacts by state at this link. However, if you do get pulled over after a couple, you still have some cards to play. Here are some ideas.
Open your window post haste. Never mind if it is freezing cold or hot as hell outside. You are going to have to talk to the officers anyway, so you might as well vent out the alcohol fumes from any drink in the car, or from your own accumulated breath.
Keep your calm. In this situation, the officers are predators on the lookout for potential criminal prey. They will be watching like hawks to see if you are nervous or even slightly agitated. Stay cool. Absolutely do not fidget. Maintain your politeness at all times.
Ready your registration and license in advance. You will need to submit them anyway, so take away the police’s chance to see you fumbling around and dropping things.
Refuse the “field sobriety tests”. Police will not tell you for obvious reasons, but if they ask you to walk along a line or touch your nose, you are perfectly entitled to refuse. These tests are subjective and even sober people have been known to fail them.
