When the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) issues you a license to drive, they trust that you will operate your car safely on the roads. So, in a way, they may view it as a complete betrayal of this confidence and expectation when you drive under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol. This is to say that a DUI charge may deprive you of many liberties, including your freedom to drive. Without further ado, please continue reading to learn whether you will automatically lose your driver’s license after being charged with a DUI and how one of the experienced Prince George’s County DUI lawyers at Miller Berman can help prevent administrative and criminal penalties from being imposed.
Will I automatically lose my driver’s license after receiving a DUI?
First off, when you are pulled over on suspicion of a DUI, a law enforcement officer may ask you to submit to a breathalyzer test. If this device detects that your blood-alcohol content (BAC) level is 0.08 percent or higher, you may be arrested and face trial. In the meantime, once your failed breath test gets reported to the MVA, they may place an administrative suspension order on your driver’s license for up to 180 days.
Of note, if this is your subsequent offense of failing a breath test, this suspension may extend to 270 days. Lastly, the same suspension duration may apply if you refused the breathalyzer test at the time of your stop and arrest. You can still fight against this, though. That is, you may contact the MVA to request a hearing to modify your suspension or petition for an alternative punishment, such as having an ignition interlock device (IID) installed in your vehicle.
Is my driver’s license suspension different from criminal consequences?
You must understand that the MVA’s administrative suspension is different from the Maryland criminal law judge’s imposed criminal penalties. This is to say that the judge may order your driver’s license to be revoked for up to six months if they rule you guilty of a first-offense DUI. This revocation may be raised to 12 or 18 months for a second- or third-offense DUI, respectively.
Again, this does not mention additional driving penalties, such as potential participation in the (IID) program, points added to your driving record, and higher insurance premiums. What’s worse, besides temporarily losing your driving rights, you may face other criminal consequences with a guilty verdict. Simply put, for a first-, second-, or third-offense DUI, there may be up to one, two, or three years of jail time, and up to $1,000, $2,000, or $3,000 in fines, respectively.
Before you face any of these actions from the MVA and criminal court, please retain legal representation from one of the skilled Prince George’s County criminal lawyers from Miller Berman. We will do everything in our power to fight off an impending criminal record on your behalf. Do not hesitate to team up with us today.
