If you are accused of driving while drunk, you need to find the best DUI lawyer as soon as possible. A DUI conviction can cost you a lot of money, give you a criminal record, and get your driver’s license suspended. But if you have the right lawyer, you can often limit the damage and get the best possible outcome from a bad situation.

Alcohol-impaired drivers who speed are more likely to get into an accident, but not much is known about this link. Auto accidents are one of the main causes of deaths that could have been prevented in the United States. 

In general, the number of people killed in car accidents has gone down over time. However, this trend has stopped in recent years, and the number of deaths in certain high-risk groups has stayed high.

Even in non-metropolitan areas, there are big differences, and the risk goes up the more rural the area is. For example, the age-adjusted death rates for passenger vehicle occupants in the Western United States in 2014 were 3.9 (per 100,000 people) in the largest metropolitan counties, 6.4 (per 100,000 people) in the smaller metropolitan counties, 18.0 (per 100,000 people) in rural counties as a whole, and 40.0 (per 100,000 people) in completely rural counties.

Like people who live in rural areas, young adult drivers are more likely to die in a car accident for a number of reasons, such as their lack of experience, their less-developed cognitive skills, and their personalities.

Furthermore, young people often don’t follow driving safety precautions (like wearing seatbelts) and drive more recklessly (like speeding). Another important thing that puts young people at risk is that they are willing to drive after drinking alcohol, which is a well-known cause of car accidents and deaths. 

Drug use, drinking and driving get worse during adolescence and are at their worst when the person is a young adult. Thus, a DWI lawyer can help assist you in your case.

Hiring the best DWI lawyer can make a big difference in how your case goes. If you’ve been accused of drunk driving, you should talk to a lawyer right away so that they can get to work right away to protect your rights.

Teens Who Get a DUI Will Have to Pay a Fine.

If you are under 18 and get arrested for DUI, you could get the same punishments as an adult. People can drink in most states when they are 21 years old. If you are under 21 and get a DUI, you could be punished even if your blood alcohol level was much less than .08%. 

Most states say that drivers under 21 can only have a blood alcohol level of .02% or less, or none at all. Some states have harsher punishments for drunk drivers under 21 than for drunk drivers over 21. If you are found guilty, it is likely that your license will be taken away.

Insurance Consequences

If you get a DUI, your insurance may change as well. Your car insurance company may take away any discounts you got for being a good or safe driver. You could also be called a high-risk driver and have to pay more for your insurance.

 In some cases, the insurance company will cancel the policy, and you may have to find a company that specializes in very expensive high-risk insurance. Some states may even take a drunk driver’s car away.

Harsher Punishments

Most states have harsher punishments for things like having a high blood alcohol level. For example, in Alabama, if you are a first-time offender and your blood alcohol level is .15% or higher, you will lose your license for 90 days and have to install an ignition interlock device for 2 years.

Driving After Alcohol Consumption: Rural and Urban areas

DUI and DWI both mean that someone is driving a car after drinking, but in some states DUI means “driving under the influence of drugs and lower levels of drunkenness and isn’t punished as harshly as DWI. Studies from the past have shown that people in rural areas are more likely not to drink alcohol (1), but recent trends show that alcohol and drug abuse problems are happening at a rate similar to that of urban areas. 

Let’s point out that living in a rural area has been thought to protect one from drug use in the past, but rural living has started to show positive associations with drug use problems. Not enough research has been done to find out how much rural and urban DUI offenders are different in terms of how they act and how they think.

DWI Lawyer Fees

The price of a DUI attorney depends on where you live and how hard your case is. Before you hire a DUI lawyer, you should get a good faith estimate of how much it will cost.

Whether you win or lose a criminal case doesn’t determine how much a lawyer is paid. This means that your lawyer can’t charge you different amounts based on how your case goes. Most of the time, you pay an attorney by the hour and have to put some money down as a retainer.

You should remember that legal fees are negotiable, and you should also ask about any extra fees you might have to pay, like extra costs for expert witnesses. Every part of your fee agreement should be spelled out in writing. You should ask for one if you don’t get one.

Even though it’s important to know how much a DUI lawyer costs, price shouldn’t be the only thing you consider when choosing one. If the best DUI lawyers cost a little more but help you win your case, the extra money is well worth it.

Conclusion

Each state has its own laws about how drunk drivers should be punished. Most states are kind to people who break the law for the first time and only charge them with a misdemeanor. 

But they take drunk driving very seriously and give harsh punishments when it happens more than once or when other things make it worse. However, in some states, a first offense isn’t even a misdemeanor. Instead, it’s just a civil violation.