Required
telephone For A Free Consultation Call (301) 761-4842

Impact of a Maryland DUI Penalty

When someone gets pulled over and is charged with a DUI, it can have a wide variety of negative effects for extended periods of time. You could have your driving privileges revoked or suspended because you have too many points on your license and could also potentially see your insurance premiums increase significantly. Some people with too many DUI offenses may even find themselves unable to get car insurance at all or even lose their driver’s license completely.

For these reasons, anyone who is charged with a DUI in Maryland should consult with a Maryland DUI lawyer as soon as possible to mitigate the damage of this offense as much as possible.

Potential Repercussions of Maryland DUI Charge

If someone already has DUI convictions on their record, many times the Motor Vehicle Administration will suspend or revoke a driver’s license for life, not just for a certain period of time. When this happens, there may be very little that you can do to earn that privilege back. In addition, there may be consequences with employment, particularly if their employment has anything to do with driving.

For example, if someone is a public transportation driver, or drives a taxi or a ride-sharing service for a living, the company may no longer wish to employ that person when they have a DUI on their record. That is because the employer is required to ensure that person in some way. There will be significant safety concerns for the employer, the driver, and the passengers by having someone with a DUI on their record.

People may also incur other consequences as a result of these kinds of issues on their record, including not being able to apply to certain graduate schools, visit certain countries, or be ineligible for certain kinds of professional licenses.

Impact on Getting a License From Another State

Having a DUI could impact a person’s ability to get a license in another state. When someone tries to get a license in another state, one of the first questions they are asked is whether they have ever held a license in a different state and whether they are prepared to surrender that license. When a person turns over the information from the other state, they are giving the new state access to their old driving record. The new state is easily able to identify the status of the person’s driving privilege.

Impact on Maryland Car Insurance

A person’s insurance company usually does not find out about their arrest for a DUI in Maryland. The insurance company is notified only after the person is assigned any points for a particular incident. In terms of disclose, every insurance company has different obligations for their drivers. A person should review the contract they signed with their insurance company when they originally engaged them to insure their vehicle to determine whether or not they are under an obligation to report.

It is important to contact a Maryland DUI lawyer because the potential DUI conviction results in points on your driving record. Having points on your driving record has an serious impact on your car insurance. It could raise their premiums or result in cancellation from the insurance company completely.

Impact on Employment

Every employer is different in terms of what is required to be reported to them. Some employers require all their employees to report to them even if they have only been charged with an offense, but not actually convicted of that offense. In those situations, when a person is under a duty to report a situation to their employer, they could suffer serious consequences for not reporting, such as having their security clearance or immigration status negatively impacted. While the court system and the Motor Vehicle Administration do not directly report anything to someone’s employer, the employer can find out because the information is public record.

Because each individual situation is unique, it is important to talk to an attorney with experience handling DUI matters, assisting clients with collateral consequences including employment and educational institutions, or with the Motor Vehicle Administration so that the person dealing with a DUI charge may be better able to navigate the processes.

DUI Charges for Out-of-State or Country Drivers

If a person is arrested for a DUI in Maryland, they can return to their home state or home country. However, the person is required to return to the United States to address the issues of the DUI. If they do not return to the United States, they have issued a warrant. This kind of a warrant is usually not something where the authorities travel to another state or country to arrest the person and bring them back to the United States. However, if the person enters into another territory that belongs to the United States or even some territories in other countries and the warrant is active, the person could be taken into custody and brought back to Maryland to face their warrant.

Once a person is placed into custody, issues can become extremely difficult to resolve. They can be held sometimes for a month, while they are being transported back to the state of Maryland to address the warrant and answer for their absence from the court at the time of their court date.

Consult with a Maryland DUI Lawyer Today

Usually, if a person is worried about their employment status. They will want to contact a lawyer and bring information about their original employment contract, which is available through their Human Resources office, and also information from their insurance company. An experienced DUI attorney in Maryland can look through the documents and help them determine their obligations.

This is not an issue that necessarily needs to be addressed during a person’s first conversation with an attorney. The first consultation should focus on what happened and what damage controls need to be put in place. A conversation shortly after that when the person engages their attorney is the time to examine other issues such as what to report to their employer.

GET IN TOUCH WITH OUR
MARYLAND CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEYS