San Diego DUI Lawyers Blog
San Diego Sheriff’s Department announced their final driving under the influence numbers for the 2011 holiday season. Fourteen San Diego County law enforcement agencies and the California Highway Patrol, CHP, arrested 770 people on suspicion of drunk driving from 12:01 a.m., Friday, December 16th, 2011, through 12:00 a.m., Sunday, January 1st, 2012. Five deaths in San Diego have been blamed on drunk driving. This is up from 715 DUI arrests in 2010 for the same time period, according to californiaavoid.org.
The Sheriff’s have announced that they will be increasing their saturation patrols and drunk driving checkpoints around San Diego County during the Super Bowl weekend of February 5th, and again around the St. Patrick’s Day events in March.
As always, we recommend you plan ahead before heading out to celebrate to avoid the possibility of being arrested for drunk driving. Pack a bag and plan on staying at the home of the party host. Designate a driver to remain sober and be responsible to drive you home. Save a San Diego taxi company’s telephone number in your phone and use it. Use public transportation or call a sober friend or family member for a ride.
But, if you are arrested for drunk driving, hiring a skilled DUI defense attorney can help you evaluate your case, negotiate with the prosecuting authority, file motions when appropriate, mitigate your consequences, and possibly get your case reduced or dismissed!
Once arrested for drunk driving, there are two legal processes that occur: One is the California Department of Motor Vehicles’ administrative process and the other is the court process. Be advised that you only have ten days from the date of the arrest to contact the DMV to request an administrative hearing challenging the suspension of your license. If you fail to schedule the hearing within those ten (10) days, your license will automatically be suspended thirty (30) days after the arrest.
Besides the administrative process that occurs, there is also a court action. If you are arrested for drunk driving, do not just plead guilty even if your blood alcohol content, or BAC, was a .08% or more. There may be defenses in your case that can lead to reduced charges with less punishment or even a dismissal! Those defenses are usually not apparent until a DUI defense attorney can review all the evidence against you. That information is usually not known until after the arraignment and the discovery process begins.
If you have a San Diego County DUI case pending against you, speak to The Law Offices of Susan L. Hartman about your matter today. Call 619-260-1122 or fill out the “Contact Us” form on this page for a free, confidential consultation.