A Davis County DUI conviction can mean jail time, fines, losing your license, increased insurance rates, an ignition interlock, probation, and more. A successful DUI defense may require legal challenges to suppress evidence for Fourth Amendment violations, an understanding of the testing standards and procedures involved in field sobriety testing as well as the chemical breath or blood testing performed by police, a solid grasp of the evidentiary rules that relate to expert testimony at trial, and more. Many attorneys fight hard for their clients. But you need an attorney who also understands how to fight smart.
Drunk driving laws in Utah cover more than just consumption of alcohol. So called “metabolite” laws cover individuals who may be sober, but still have a measurable amount of a controlled substance metabolite in their system. Although you may not even be noticeably impaired, Utah law still allows for criminal charges if you are driving or in actual physical control of a vehicle with a measurable amount of a controlled substance in your body.
Being convicted of drunk driving, DUI, or driving with measurable controlled substance metabolite can result in serious consequences. Even a first offense can result in losing your license, going to jail, having to pay substantial fines, and increased insurance rates. If you are placed on probation, you may be required to participate in treatment, install an ignition interlock device, undergo alcohol testing, and more.
A first DUI will normally be charged as a class B misdemeanor. But if children were in the car, if an accident occurred, if people were injured, or if someone dies as a result of an accident, the legal of the charges can increase substantially. A simple DUI can also be charged as a felony if you have two or more prior DUI convictions.