Your future depends on the attorney you choose to defend you, so choose wisely and contact our firm at (678) 487-5728! Your fight is our fight.
An offense for driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol can have serious implications for your current and future life. While driving under the influence is never a good idea, it’s important not to be too hard on yourself for making a mistake. The law will punish you plenty, so there’s no need to inflict further damage on yourself mentally or otherwise.
Here’s how you may be affected by having a DUI offense on your record:
Employment Challenges
Depending on your job, you may face consequences at work if you are convicted of a DUI offense. As you know, your ability to drive is impacted by a DUI conviction. This is a major problem if you are required to drive for your job. Although, even if you do not drive for work, you may still have trouble getting to and from work.
In addition, a DUI offense may put your professional reputation at risk. Regardless of whether you are already working or looking for work, you could have to disclose a DUI conviction. Whether or not you have to do this will depend on the criteria your current or prospective employer follows. This could provide significant limitations on your ability to start or maintain a working position.
Education Impacts
A DUI conviction may impact your ability to obtain an education. Depending on the school you apply to, you may be required to report a DUI conviction on a college or university application. Some schools may ask about all criminal charges, while others only request information about felonies. Most DUIs in Georgia are misdemeanors, so certain college applications will not require you to report a DUI conviction.
You can take comfort in knowing that most schools will not deny your application over a single DUI conviction.
Financial Aid
If you are convicted of a felony DUI, you may not qualify for financial aid or scholarships. However, if your DUI is a misdemeanor offense, you shouldn’t be significantly impacted when looking for money to pay for your education.
If you are a student-athlete, a DUI may put your athletic scholarships at risk. As an athlete, you may have had to sign a code of conduct agreeing that you wouldn’t engage in certain activities, such as drinking and driving. You may be suspended if you are caught driving under the influence.
Car Insurance Affects
Your auto insurance provider may choose to cancel your policy as a result of a DUI conviction. If they don’t drop you altogether, it’s likely they will raise your rates.
If your policy is canceled, you may have a difficult time finding replacement coverage. Additionally, a new policy will likely come with significantly higher premiums.
Immediate Hurdles of a DUI Offense
DUI offenses in Georgia are progressive, which means that once you are charged with one DUI, the penalties attached to a conviction are far more severe if you are convicted again.
After a DUI conviction, you may face incarceration, especially after a prior conviction. You will likely face hefty fines, even for your first DUI. You can expect to lose your driver’s license for a period of time, and the length of time increases with each subsequent conviction.
You may need to have an ignition interlock device (IID) installed in your vehicle. This is a device that measures the presence of alcohol in your breath. With an IID, you will not be able to start your vehicle if you have consumed alcohol. If alcohol is detected in your breath, it will be reported to the authorities who are monitoring your obedience of driving without drinking.
If you have been charged with DUI, it’s imperative that you seek immediate legal representation. Let our team see if we can help clear your name of the charges.
Contact our experienced attorneys at The Dickerson Firm LLC by calling (678) 487-5728 or by filling out our online contact form.
