Nassau County DWI Defense Lawyer

If you are convicted of drunk or drugged driving in Nassau County, you could face:

• $1,000 fine, 6 months’ license revocation, and mandatory Ignition Interlock Device installation for a first DWI
• Minimum 5 days’ jail, $5,000 fine, 1 year of license suspension, and a mandatory IID for a second DWI
• Minimum 10 days’ jail, $10,000 fine, 6 years’ license suspension, and a mandatory IID for a third DWI

Types of DWI Charges & How They Can Affect You

If you think only one type of DWI exists, you are not alone because many people share that thought. The truth is that you could face one of many types of DWIs if the police arrest you for driving under the influence of alcohol. In addition to a variety of other factors, the type of DWI with which the police charge you can impact the penalties you will face. Learning about the various types of DWI charges and the ways they can affect your life helps you understand what you are facing.

Standard DWIs

A standard DWI is what most people picture when they hear the term. The police will pull over a vehicle and run several tests to determine if the driver is impaired. If the driver's blood-alcohol content is .08 percent or higher, the police can place her under arrest and issue a DWI charge.

In these cases, the driver will need to pay a fine between $100 and several thousand dollars, and the court could also impose jail time. Most jurisdictions force those convicted of a DWI to take a driver safety course before they can regain their driving privileges. If you face a DWI charge and don't have any other marks on your criminal record, it should not be too hard to get your life back on track.

Additional Violations

If you get more than one DWI violation, you will start facing progressively worse consequences. For example, the court might order you to spend even more time behind bars, and the cost of your fines will also rise. Some people find themselves facing a third or fourth violation, and they will likely lose their ability to drive for many years. 

Having several DWIs on your criminal background increases your insurance rate and makes it that much harder to find a job. Do your best to avoid this situation because the trouble is not worth it. Those who fall into this trap often wish they had selected a different path but no longer have the option.

Aggravated DWIs

Many locations will raise a standard DWI charge to an aggravated DWI if you break more than one law while driving under the influence. One example is a driver who is drunk and also running red lights, and those who commit such offenses will not have a good time in court. When the police do a traffic stop on someone for an aggravated DWI, the fallout will depend on the laws the driver was breaking and how much over the limit the driver was when arrested.

Felony DWIs

Drivers can face felony DWI charges if the police pull them over and find other serious violations. If the police issue a DWI charge to a drunken driver, the court will raise the charge to a felony if the driver had a suspended license. Those who drive drunk with children in the car can also find themselves on the wrong side of a felony DWI charge. If you get a felony DWI, you could spend several years behind bars and steep fines that are next to impossible to pay.

Commercial DWIs

If the police charge you with a DWI and you hold a CDL, the game changes in a negative way. You can lose your license for up to a year on your first offense, and additional violations could cause you to lose your license for up to ten years. The fines and possible jail time you can face are also much worse if you are caught driving while drunk.

Although you must have a blood-alcohol content of .08 or higher to get charged in most situations, that is not how it works when you are on the job. The police can give you a DWI if you are driving a commercial vehicle and have a blood-alcohol content of .04 percent or higher.

How a Nassau County DWI Lawyer Can Help You

Hiring a lawyer helps you understand which defenses are available to you and which work best for your situation. For instance, if you were charged with a DWI after being stopped without probable cause, this may be used in your favor.

Similarly, a lawyer understands the many issues that can arise regarding traffic stops, tests from blood and breath samples, and more. There are many different ways to defend a case when someone is charged with a DWI.

• Breathalyzer test defense: If you’ve taken a breathalyzer and were arrested afterwards, the lawyer may challenge the validity of the test, including the calibration of the machine.
• Qualifications of the officer: In some cases, the officer may not be qualified to administer a blood or breath test. This could make the test results inadmissible in court.
• Procedure: Officers have to follow specific procedures when pulling someone over for a DWI. This includes having probable cause for the stop and following the regulations of administering the tests.