As you may know already in Los Angeles if you are driving your vehicle with over .08 percent BAC you will be charged with a DUI. There are other variations also, Driving Under the Influence of Drugs. Over the years the California Legislator has made the penalties increasing severe for DUI convictions in Los Angeles.
Some typical punishments for a standard first time DUI in Los Angeles are; county jail, probation, alcohol classes, fines, AA classes, Ignition Interlock Device, and community services. Furthermore, a conviction of a DUI will appear on your record which may affect your employment and professional license status. This is why it is important to hire an experienced Los Angles DUI lawyer who can prevent a DUI conviction from ever appearing on your record.
In addition to the standard DUI penalties in Los Angeles, there are things called DUI Penalty Enhancements. A few examples are:
BAC above .15
BAC above .20
Speeding 20 mph above the posted speed limit on a street
Speeding 30 mph above the posted speed limit on a freeway
The Los Angeles DUI Enhancement that I want to focus on is speeding over 30 mph over the speed limit posted on a freeway. Many people may not even think twice about this enhancement but it is a serious one. The statute stats this for 23582 of the Vehicle Code:
"Any person who drives a vehicle 30 or more miles per hour over the maximum, prima facie, or posted speed limit on a freeway, or 20 or more miles per hour over the maximum, prima facie, or posted speed limit on any other street or highway, and in a manner prohibited by Section 23103 during the commission of a violation of Section 23152 or 23153 shall, in addition to the punishment prescribed for that person upon conviction of a violation of Section 23152 or 23153, be punished by an additional and consecutive term of60 days in the county jail."
Essentially, this statute mandates an additional 60 days in county jail on top of whatever your DUI penalties are. Spending 60 days in county jail can devastate your life, you may loose your job, get kicked out of school or evicted from your house. It is crucial to hire an experiencedLos Angeles DUI lawyer who is able to aggressively fight your charges and dismiss your DUI and any additional enhancements. An inexperienced DUI lawyer would not be able to drop this enhancement charge with truly understanding the "ins and outs" of DUI and speeding. Many times prosecutors include this additional enhancement to gain leverage over the defense. At the Law Offices of Loren M. Merlin our experienced DUI lawyer will not allow the prosecutor to gain any advantage over our clients.
If you are currently facing a criminal charge of Driving Under the Influence, do not hesitate to contact a Los Angeles DUI Lawyer that you can trust. By retaining the legal assistance of an experienced DUI Attorney from our law office, you can rest assure knowing that your rights and your future will be placed into completely trustworthy hands. At theLaw Offices of Loren M. Merlin we approach every case with the belief that the person we are defending could easily be one of our own family members.