Damage Control After a Rockville DUI

Following a driving under the influence charge in Rockville, one of the most important things that an individual needs to do is contact an attorney immediately to preserve all of their rights in a particular case. People should not go about paying any of the traffic citations that they received before they talk to a Rockville DUI attorney about it. Many times these traffic citations can constitute an admission of guilt causing a person to miss out on opportunity to challenge the stop of their vehicle in a particular case.

Possible Penalties for a Rockville DUI Charge

A person could be exposed to a significant amount of points if they just decide to pay the citations that they receive following a DUI. Often an attorney can negotiate down or have dismissed many of these tickets in a particular criminal case.

Additionally, an individual needs to talk to an attorney about preserving the rights associated with their driver’s license. There are many notifications that a person will receive about suspension of their driver’s license associated with a DUI charge. Once an individual receives those rights, an attorney can help to make sure all of them are preserved and if a hearing is appropriate that hearing is properly requested at that time.

Finally, the person needs to talk to their Rockville DUI lawyer about enrolling in some kind of alcohol education or substance abuse program to make sure that the court is clear that the individual has taken all the steps necessary to demonstrate to the court just how seriously they have taken the entire incident.

Alcohol Education Programs

Depending on how serious the case, usually an alcohol education program is going to be anywhere from 8 to 26 hours of outpatient treatment where a person will go to class, hear from other people who have been charged with DUI and may have lost family members as a result of DUIs, and learn about the danger of driving under the influence of alcohol.
In addition, that person might learn about how their body processes alcohol and other information that that person might not have known about the dangers of drinking and driving. Once the course is completed, a certificate is offered to the individual that can be used by a Rockville DUI defense attorney in mitigation to the judge.

Types of Programs Available in Rockville

Many alcohol education programs are available in Rockville. An experienced DUI lawyer in Rockville can recommend which course will be most appropriate for you based on the circumstances of your case. For example, if somebody has a very low DUI alcohol level and their case is not very serious, their lawyer might recommend that they go to a less intensive program than if they were on a multi-level DUI offense or a second, third, or fourth offense and need to go to a more intensive education program. An attorney can, depending on the facts of your case, gauge what kind of course is appropriate and guide you through enrollment.

How to Approach Alcohol Education Programs

Usually an individual should contact a Rockville DUI lawyer before contacting an alcohol education course to make sure that it is an appropriate course for them and for the court they are going to be attending. When they go into that alcohol education course they should expect to be evaluated. The person who is evaluating will usually ask questions about your alcohol concentration level, your history of drinking and what happened in the particular case. Then, they will make a recommendation about what kind of treatment they believe you should do. You can make a determination about starting a program right away or you can wait and get opinions about other programs that might be for a shorter or a longer period of time and whether it is appropriate to you.

Impact of Rockville DUI on Your Insurance

Usually insurance is not involved in a DUI immediately. Insurance will only get involved after the DUI charges are resolved in court. Insurance is usually triggered when an individual receives points from their DUI, which can only be assessed after the judge makes a ruling about a conviction.

Speaking to Your Insurance Provider

Individuals should not speak to their insurance provider unless they contact a Rockville DUI attorney first and the attorney is with that individual on the phone when they are talking to their insurance company. Most of the time people who have first time or second time DUI offenses, where there is no car accident, do not need to affirmatively report those DUIs to their insurance companies. They are innocent until proven guilty. Once the case is resolved in court, and if they are in fact convicted, the insurance company may need to be notified.

When to Speak to a Rockville DUI Lawyer

Someone who has been involved in a DUI accident should not speak to their insurance company before talking to a DUI lawyer in Rockville. The insurance company often asks you for recorded statements of what took place. Those recorded statements become part of records, and the prosecutor can access those recorded statements and try to use them against you in your criminal trial. It is extremely important to have an attorney on the phone during the course of those conversations to make sure you are preserving your rights.