DUI Accident – Having an Accident While DUI

A DUI charge means that you were driving under the influence. This differs from driving while intoxicated because being under the influence can include alcohol and drugs. If you show signs of intoxication while driving, an officer may pull you over to verify through preliminary tests. However, if you get into an accident, police are automatically going to respond to the scene and as such, begin preliminary tests and investigations immediately. These preliminary tests and the investigation are meant to determine how impaired your motor skills were as the driver, and thus why they resulted in the car accident. An accident can include hitting other cars, people, or objects. If you are in an accident and only injure yourself, there are still criminal consequences.

If you have an accident while you are under the influence of alcohol, police officers will automatically administer preliminary tests and then take you to the police station where they will administer a chemical tests to determine your blood alcohol content. The penalties for your DUI can become quite severe if you have an accident, regardless of whether or not someone was severely injured or killed which is why it is imperative to contact a Utah DUI Lawyer immediately. If you comply with a chemical test and the results show that your blood alcohol content was below the legal limit you can still face criminal charges for the accident caused while under the influence but a Utah DUI Lawyer can help reduce your charges if possible.

There are many different penalties associated with convictions of being under the influence which can be explained to you by a Utah DUI Lawyer. Some of the serious penalties, reserved for second and third offenses are very bad first cases, can include combinations of DUI rehabilitation programs, ignitions interlock devices, large fines, and jail time. These are generally reserved for people who have a blood alcohol content of 0.15 percent to 0.20 percent. Many states have taken new initiatives in order to deter people from driving while under the influence, particularly at high levels of blood alcohol content. These include things such as installing ignition interlock devices for five months following a first offense, and three years for a second offense.

Compared to many other countries, the penalties in the United States for driving under the influence are fairly light and reasonable unless there was an accident involved which caused injuries or death to others. In these cases there are very severe penalties. Certain states have special license plates which were issued to those who were only given limited driving rights following a charge for driving under the influence. These plates were rarely enforced, but in states like Ohio, they were administered in yellow with red writing. In the state of Minnesota, they were white with blue text or black text.

There are many defenses which can be made with a Utah DUI Lawyer against charges of driving under the influence. It is of the utmost concern that you contact a Utah DUI Lawyer immediately if you had been charged with driving under the influence. With the help of a Utah DUI Lawyer you can hope to work out a plea bargain if the accident caused minor damage or injuries.