With the arrival of the summer holiday season, police started rolling out the BAT mobiles in May, preparing to combat drunk drivers and get them off the roads. BAT (Breath Alcohol Testing) mobiles are special mobile vans equipped with multiple intoxilizers, breath alcohol testing equipment, and technicians trained in their use. Throughout the summer, but particularly during the Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day weekends that seem to account for a large percentage of summer DUI arrests, police in many states set up sting operations to catch people who are driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs or driving while intoxicated (DWI). The mobile BAT units allow police to administer DUI tests in the field, process stopped motorists quickly, issue tickets immediately, and take drunk drivers off the roads before they hurt themselves or others.
In California, increasingly strict drunk driving laws involve two proceedings for those charged with DUI or DWI. If you are arrested and found to have a blood alcohol concentration of .08% or above, police will charge you with two misdemeanor offenses: driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with an excessive blood alcohol concentration. If an accident occurred that caused injury to a third party, you can also be charged with a felony offense. Conviction of DUI can result in fines up to $1,000, confiscation of your vehicle, suspension of your license, community service and/or jail time. The court may order installation of an interlock device that will prevent your car from starting if you have been drinking. You can also be ordered to attend DUI school for 3 to 6 months or placed on up to 3 years of informal probation. Penalties escalate for repeat DUI offenders. If you maim or kill someone while driving drunk, you can be charged with vehicular manslaughter which has far more serious consequences.
In addition to and separate from the criminal proceedings, police will confiscate your driver's license and serve you with an order of suspension. You will have only 10 days to contact the Department of Motor Vehicles to request a hearing to contest the suspension or risk automatic suspension of your driver's license. If the DMV rules against you, your license can be suspended for four months or longer if you are a repeat offender.
DUI penalties can have life-altering consequences, warns experienced Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez. An experienced criminal defense attorney with expertise representing DUI cases can protect your interests in both court and at your DMV hearing and may able to get DUI charges dismissed or penalties diminished.
