Impact of an Anne Arundel County DUI Charge

A DUI can have a traumatic impact on an individual’s life. It can put the individual’s driver’s license in jeopardy. It can put their employment in jeopardy, because they may be unable to report to work. Being convicted of a DUI can also have a serious negative impact on a person’s employment. A DUI conviction can also impact family life and have a significant negative financial impact, because a DUI arrest is extremely expensive. It will have negative effects on an individual’s time, because they will be required to attend some kind of alcohol education program or treatment prior to the case going to trial. An Anne Arundel County DUI lawyer can help provide guidance about minimizing the impact of a DUI charge, taking into account the individual’s specific situation, their life, what kind of work they do, and their need to retain driving privileges.

Impact on Employment

Whether someone will need to report a DUI arrest to their employer depends on the requirements of the employer and the nature of their employment. Sometimes they will need to notify their employer, if they have a reporting obligation. For example, if someone has security clearance, there may be an obligation to report the arrest. In other cases they do not need to notify their employer and the employer may not find out about the arrest.

However, someone who drives a vehicle for a living may see serious and immediate impact to their employment upon arrest for a DUI.

Impact on Driving Privileges

While a DUI arrest itself will not prohibit someone from becoming licensed in another state, a subsequent suspension of their Maryland driver’s license would. A person can get another state license when their license is valid in Maryland. If their current license is suspended, until the suspension of their license in Maryland is resolved, they would be unable to get a license in other states.

Impact on Insurance

Generally, most insurance companies do not put a clause in the policy requiring a driver to report an arrest. An individual does not usually need to report a DUI arrest to their insurance company, but they should check their individual policy to determine if they have a reporting obligation included in their specific policy. The insurance company will find out if the driver is ultimately convicted of the offense, but that is a long way down the road from an arrest for suspicion of DUI. There is a good chance that someone’s insurance company will not find out about the arrest. Additionally, with the assistance of an experienced and knowledgeable attorney, the person may not actually face conviction for a DUI charge.

Impact on Out-of-State Drivers

A DUI arrest does not usually prohibit a person that lives out-of-state or in another country from returning home. The only way they would not be allowed to return home is if there were some kind of supervision condition associated with their pre-trial release, but that is very uncommon. It is almost unheard of for an individual to be prohibited or disallowed from returning home pending the resolutions of their DUI case in Anne Arundel County.