What To Do When Caught Driving Drunk in El Cerrito

Drunk driving or driving while drunk is a criminal offense in the state of California. It has severe punishments including jail term, hefty fine, license suspension for anywhere from six months to several years, probation for up to three years, community service, installation of ignition interlock device in the vehicle, rehab and education program among other penalties. The punishment can be even more severe if there are additional charges such as damage caused to property, causing bodily injury or causing death by negligence, referred to as driving under influence manslaughter.

We have many years of experience in successfully defending our clients facing drunk driving charges, as one of the most reputed and experienced drunk driving lawyers in El Cerrito. As renowned DUI criminal defense attorneys, we have shown consistent results, largely due to our vigorous cross-examination of prosecution witnesses as well as our ability to target technical insufficiencies. If you have been charged for driving while drunk in El Cerrito, CA, you should get in touch with us as soon as possible. The earlier you get in contact with us the better it is for your case.

Given the seriousness of the offense and the possible sentence upon conviction as per the law, the first step is to seek legal counsel. You must immediately appoint a DUI defense lawyer in El Cerrito, moments after your arrest if possible. You should not wait even a day. Experienced DUI defense lawyers in El Cerrito must start preparing a case in your favor right after you have been charged. DUI lawyers need to investigate the case, visit and inspect the scene, speak with eye witnesses, gather evidence and also find out the entire procedure that led to the stopping of the vehicle at the checkpoint, the tests conducted and their results, explore possible violations of the law or procedure by the arresting officer and other flaws.

Drunk driving cases routinely go to trials. Driving under influence is actually the most common crime for which ordinary citizens have to face trial. Convictions in drunk driving cases have shot up in recent times because of the alacrity with which the law enforcement is working and the solid cases being presented by the prosecutors across the state of California. The trial is almost always based on technicalities so it is almost impossible for anyone unaware of the law and its full scope of implementation to counter the technical arguments presented by the prosecutor. You should appoint the best DUI defense lawyer before your case is prepared for trial.
 
Our DUI lawyers in El Cerrito have decades of experience. We have been successfully defending our clients charged with drunk driving. Our expertise and resources have helped secure favorable verdicts at trials. We routinely succeed at getting driving while drunk charges dropped and the case dismissed even before it is ready for trial. We are also specialists in plea bargains. Should a case go to trial, we have the means and astuteness to argue the charges and can counter the prosecution to secure a favorable verdict. Anyone charged with drunk driving for the first time should look for an acquittal so there is no permanent criminal record. Only the finest DUI lawyers can help defendants avoid a conviction.

Do Not Hesitate To Contact Us If You Have Received A Drunk Driving Offense

The Complications of Drunk Driving Charges in El Cerrito

The law states that anyone driving under the influence is committing a crime. Impaired driving is not permitted and anyone with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or more should be arrested and booked for drunk driving. The blood alcohol concentration should be less than 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. Many people drive under influence but they are no impaired. Yet, the blood alcohol concentration can be over 0.08%. The driver may be fully alert. One may not be drunk even. It takes very few drinks to breach the 80mg alcohol per 100ml of blood. Many are biological and other factors also play a role. It is quite possible that a person is not even remotely drunk or impaired but the blood alcohol concentration may be over 0.08%, effectively paving the way for legally admissible drunk driving charges.

DUI or drunk driving law in California has a zero tolerance policy for people aged less than twenty one. Teenagers or adolescents aged under twenty one should not have any traces of alcohol in their breath or blood. If the blood alcohol concentration is 0.01% or more, then the underage driver can be arrested and booked for drunk driving. 0.01% is definitely not a level that indicates impaired driving. Due to these stringencies of the law, it is quite easy to get charged with drunk driving and that explains the alarming increase in the number of cases being filed all across the state, most of which are going to trial. You need a DUI trial lawyer in El Cerrito immediately after you are arrested for driving while drunk.

The first evaluation may be a breathalyzer test. The police officer at the checkpoint may conduct a field sobriety test. Additionally, there may be blood and urine tests. All these tests and their results will be used against the driver charged with drunk driving. The blood and urine will also be tested for other drugs. The tests may find traces of prescription drugs or over the counter medicines that are known to cause impairment. The tests may also find traces of marijuana, banned substances and narcotics.
 
Field sobriety tests are often recorded on video. The samples of blood and urine are supposed to be tested by certified technicians. The evidences can easily get stacked up and it may become increasingly difficult to defend the accused unless an expert DUI lawyer in El Cerrito finds procedural lapses, violation of rights and challenge one or more of the steps taken by the law enforcement. For instance, only approved screening devices should be used for the tests, the arresting officer should follow all the guidelines as made clear by the law throughout the whole episode and no rights of the defendant should be violated at any stage. Such flaws can be used by an expert DUI lawyer in El Cerrito to get the drunk driving charges dropped and the entire case dismissed, well before trial.

Choose a Specialist DUI Lawyer to Beat Drunk Driving Charges in El Cerrito

Defendants should appoint a DUI lawyer who is a specialist. A defense trial lawyer with proven expertise in drunk driving cases is your best bet. Despite the seriousness of the crime and the severity of the punishments, the seemingly irrefutable evidences and the technicalities presented by the prosecution, it is possible to beat drunk driving charges in El Cerrito.