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Port ST. Lucie, Florida, Will My License Be Suspended Immediately If I Am Caught DUI?

Driving is a privilege and not a right. If a person abuses their privilege and ends up putting themselves and everyone around them in danger because of the way they were driving, they can easily have their license suspended. Driving under the influence is one of the ways which can cause a person to lose their license on the spot.

If an officer pulls a person over on the suspicion that they were DUI, they will first ask them to perform specific field sobriety tests, after this, they will request a breath analyzer test or a blood test to get the exact reading of the alcohol level in their body. If their BAC is at or above 0.08% then they will be arrested and have their license suspended on the spot. The officer will give them a ticket and this ticket will act as a temporary license for the next 10 days.

If a person has been found guilty of DUI they need to call a DUI lawyer in Port St. Lucie. So that they can start the legal process to have their penalties lifted and to get their driving privileges back.

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How long will my license be suspended for?

A person’s license will be suspended for different periods of time depending on whether this was their first offense or not and depending on whether they have any other charges associated with their DUI arrest. Generally speaking, the following time frames of suspension can be expected:

  • 12-18 months suspension if a person refused to submit the breath, blood or urine test
  • 6 months for a first-time offense of DUI with a BAC of 0.08% or higher
  • 12 months for a repeat offense of DUI with a BAC of 0.08% or higher

Apart from having their license suspended a person will most likely also have to endure a certain amount of jail time. If it is a first conviction a person will not be required to face jail time. However, for a second conviction which was done within five years of the previous, they will have to face a minimum of 10 days of jail time. For a third conviction within ten years of the prior one, they will have to face a minimum of 30 days in prison. Clearly these are not small penalties to endure.

It is always in a person’s best interest to arrange for a taxi or to arrange a ride with a friend if they suspect they may be getting drunk at an event. However, if a person does end up DUI they will have to face serious penalties, the penalties will be more severe if the driver does not take the correct measures to defend themselves.

DUI attorneys

Getting arrested for DUI can cause a person to not only have to pay heavy fines and lose their driving privileges, but it can also cause them to lose a lot of their time through having to go to jail. If a person is being arrested, they should call an attorney to help them examine what alternatives they have in order to reduce their penalties or to have their name cleared.