West Chicago DUI Lawyers
- Gerald Sullivan:
The loss of life and costs
associated with alcohol related traffic accidents is a nationwide problem. Illinois DUI law attempts to both educate the
driving public and remove dangerous drivers from the roadways. If you are arrested and charged with DUI, it
can have significant effects on your life.
At a minimum, DUI is a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to $2,500.00
in fines and up to 364 days in county jail.
A conviction results in the automatic revocation of your Illinois
driver’s license for a minimum of three months.
If you are driving an automobile
and are stopped by a law enforcement officer for suspected DUI, I suggest that
you take the following steps in order to minimize the evidence that will be
brought against you.
- Be respectful of the police officer, even if he or
she is not. Anything that you say
can be used in your prosecution for DUI.
- Do not make any statements to the police officer
other than information that is contained on your driver’s license (name,
date of birth, address, height, weight).
If and when the officer engages you in conversation outside of the
information contained on your driver’s license, respond by stating that
you respectfully decline to make any statements.
- Respectfully refuse to take any filed sobriety tests,
including the test where the officer asks you to look at and follow a
finger or pen from side to side.
You should also respectfully refuse to take any portable breath
test at the scene of the traffic stop.
- If you are arrested and taken into the police
station, generally you should respectfully refuse any breath or chemical
testing, unless you are absolutely
certain you will test under the legal limit of presumed intoxication
(.08). Any amount of a narcotic
substance is illegal. Even though
you will face more stringent license suspension penalties, following these
steps will put you in a better position to challenge the arrest in court. Any driver under the age of 21 will face
immediate suspension for either refusal to take a breath or chemical test.
A conviction for DUI can have
severe consequences in your day to day life.
Your license will be revoked and driving on a revoked license will
result in further legal problems, including incarceration. Your automobile insurance premiums will increase
when your license is reinstated, and you subject yourself to harsher penalties
for any subsequent violation.
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