Prince George’s County MVA Lawyer
The legal limit for intoxication in Maryland is set at 0.08 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC). If you are caught driving with a blood alcohol content count equal to or greater than the legal limit you will be faced with heavy penalties for driving under the influence (DUI).
A DUI offender will face criminal penalties as well as administrator penalties, but with the help of a professional legal advocate you may be able to minimize the consequences associated with a DUI offense. Call today to discuss your case with a Prince George’s County MVA Hearing lawyer.
Value of a Prince George’s County MVA Hearing Lawyer
It is important to have a DUI defense strategy that takes into account the administrative proceedings of the MVA. A Prince George’s County MVA hearing lawyer can help both with your DUI defense and your MVA hearings regarding the potential suspension of your license.
Criminal Penalties for Maryland DUI
If you are arrested for DUI and convicted in a Maryland criminal court, you will face fines, fees, mandatory alcohol safety training, jail time, and/or other possible penalties. For a first time DUI offender, a conviction may lead to a maximum of 12 months in jail and a fine of no more than $1000. The length of your jail sentence and the value of the fine will depend upon your blood alcohol content (BAC) at the time of arrest and whether or not you have been convicted for prior alcohol-related driving offenses. If you are a repeat offender, you can expect these penalties to increase in severity with each offense.
If you are facing criminal penalties for a DUI offense, contact a Prince George’s MVA hearing lawyer as soon as possible. With a knowledgeable DUI attorney advocating on your behalf, you may be able to avoid a conviction or minimize the impact your DUI has on your personal life and professional reputation. Learn more about Prince George’s County DUI charges right here.
Administrative Penalties for Maryland DUI
If you were arrested for drinking and driving in Maryland, you face license suspension whether or not you are ultimately convicted of DUI. When you are found to have a BAC above the legal limit, you will be arrested for DUI and your license will be confiscated immediately. You will then be issued an order of suspension. Administrative license suspension is imposed by the Motor Vehicle Administration, and any contest of the suspension must be made in writing to the appropriate agency.
You are allotted 10 days to make a written request for an administrative hearing with the Motor Vehicle Administration to prevent suspension of your license from remaining in effect until your case is resolved. If you fail to submit a valid MVA hearing request along with a $150 filing fee, your driving privileges will be revoked until the time of your hearing. This request and payment made to the “Maryland State Treasurer” must be received in a timely manner by the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) located at 11101 Gilroy Road, Hunt Valley, Maryland 21031-1301.If your request is approved, the OAH will send you a Notice of Hearing which will provide you with the date and time of your hearing, along with the address for administrative office in which your hearing will be held.
MVA License Suspension
Whether or not you are convicted of a Maryland DUI, you will have your driving privileges temporarily suspended unless you request a hearing within the allowable time. For a first time offender with a BAC that is less than 0.15 percent at the time of arrest, the ALJ may allow modifications to be made to the suspension, permitting the driver to travel to certain necessary locations and appointments involving work, school, or other important obligations.
Repeat offenders do not have this luxury of modifications without a price, however. In order to obtain restricted driving privileges, a repeat offender or offender with a BAC of at least 0.15 percent at the time of arrest must agree to participate in the Ignition Interlock Program. With the use of an interlock device, the driver’s vehicle engine will not start if he or she has consumed enough alcohol to register a designated BAC in a “Breathalyzer” installed in the vehicle’s dashboard. Typically, these devices provide zero tolerance, and even one drink can trigger a BAC sufficiently high to disable the ignition.
For those with a BAC in the range of 0.08 to less than 0.15 percent, the standard MVA license suspension is 45 days for a first-time offender. A repeat offender will incur a 90-day suspension, as will a first-time offender with a BAC of 0.15 percent or greater. A second or subsequent offense with an elevated BAC of 0.15 or more will lose his or her driving privileges for 180 days.
A Prince George’s County MVA Hearing Lawyer Can Help
An MVA hearing attorney in Prince George’s County will likely have a great deal of experience representing clients facing DUI charges. They will have handled these cases before and from those experiences, will have an understanding of what to expect throughout the process. Their knowledge and familiarity will be an exceptional asset to anyone who has never been through the process of an MVA hearing before.