Your License After a Second-Offense Baltimore DUI

Someone who is facing a second-offense DUI charge in Baltimore will likely face harsher penalties on their driver’s license. Law enforcement officials will view them as a repeat offender who hasn’t learned their lesson after the first time they were charged. Experienced Baltimore DUI lawyers understand law enforcement’s increased wariness towards people who are facing charges for the second time. They also understand how to help someone retain their driving privileges.

Impact of Second-Offense Baltimore DUI on Your License

What happens to your license after a DUI charge or conviction is going to depend on what happened on the side of the road and back at the police station, including whether you agreed to blow into the Breathalyzer, and if so, what the result was.

Also, those administrative suspensions have higher penalties if they’re for repeated offenses. Therefore, if it’s a first refusal, for example, the administrative penalty is 270 days of no driving. The administrative penalty for a second refusal is one year of no driving. Both of those suspensions can be modified by participation in the ignition interlock program, but the base period of suspension is significantly greater if there’s been a prior refusal. Then if there’s a conviction in court, that can trigger an additional suspension of the driver’s license.

Protecting Your Driving Privileges

Many people in Baltimore rely on their ability to drive to help them complete their daily tasks. They need to drive to get to work, to pick up groceries, and to pick up their children. Losing the ability to drive will negatively impact the ease with which a person can go about their life. Not only will a Baltimore DUI lawyer work to help get your second-offense DUI charge dismissed, they will also work to help you retain driving privileges.

Challenging a License Suspension Following a Second-Offense DUI

Procedurally, there’s no difference between a second offense and a first offense in terms of how you challenge your license suspension; you request an administrative hearing and challenge the case during the hearing. The only difference is in the penalty if the challenge is not successful.

Restricted Licenses After Second-Offense Baltimore DUI

If you have been charged with a second-offense DUI in Baltimore, you can most likely qualify for a restricted license, but the restricted license is going to involve participation in the ignition interlock program. That will require you to install an ignition interlock device in your vehicle and usually maintain that for a period of one year.

An ignition interlock device will require a driver to blow into a device that measures their blood alcohol content before allowing them to start their vehicle.

Getting Your License Back if not Convicted

The court and the administrative process are completely separate and independent, meaning that the outcome of the criminal case does not affect the outcome of the administrative suspension. For example, an individual loses his or her driver’s license for refusing to submit to a breath test at the police station. Even if he or she is not subsequently convicted because of help from an experienced DUI lawyer in Baltimore, he or she will still be under that license restriction or suspension for the refusal.