Legal Help with DUI, DWI and Traffic Offenses

How would it effect your life and employment if you couldn’t drive? It is hard to live and work today without a license to operate a motor vehicle, and traffic offenses, both serious and minor, can result in the loss of your license. Even if the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) does not take your license, tickets can increase your insurance rates to the point where driving becomes cost prohibitive. Whether you are guilty or innocent, you want a lawyer by your side to avoid letting a traffic offense ruin your life. 

The penalties in Maryland for a first offense of Driving Under the Influence ( DUI ) include up to a year in prison, $1,000.00 in fines, as well as twelve (12) points on your driving record, which is enough for the Motor Vehicle Administration to revoke your license. For a first offense of Driving While Impaired ( DWI ) the penalties can include sixty (60) days in jail, as well as eight (8) points on your driving record, enough for the Motor Vehicle Administration to suspend your license. This does not even consider the effect it can have on your insurance. Subsequent offenders can receive even longer periods of incarceration and greater fines. If you have been charged with DUI or DWI, you want to have an attorney to assert any defenses you may have and to avoid being treated unduly harshly by the Court or by the MVA.

The penalties in Maryland for a first offense of Driving While Revoked or Suspended includes up to a year in prison, $1,000.00 in fines, and again up to twelve (12) points on your driving record, which is enough for the MVA to revoke your license. Subsequent offenders can receive even longer periods of incarceration and greater fines. The Court takes Driving While Revoked and Driving While Suspended seriously, as does the MVA. If you lose your license for Driving While Revoked, it could be years before you get it back. You want to have an attorney represent you on these charges, both in Court and in front of the MVA.

An auto accident can not only result in tickets but injuries, damages and liability. Failure to remain at the scene can result in you going to jail. No matter what, if you are found at fault, you will have to deal with what your insurance company is going to do with your rates, particularly for young drivers. If you have been ticketed for an auto accident you want to speak with an attorney to determine the effect it may have on you and whether you will need an attorney to represent you in Court.

Paying a ticket or conviction in Court on even minor Traffic Offenses result in points, and have the potential to result in the suspension or revocation of your license to drive, as well as effecting your insurance rates. A clean driving record tends to keep itself clean, and a dirty driving record has a tendency to just get worse. Even if it is your first offense you should consult with a lawyer to determine how you would best proceed.

So you have not received a ticket in years, but maybe there was a point in your life when you were not so responsible. Did you know that the MVA keeps records going all the way back to when you first got your license and that the Court can access them? If you qualify, your record can be expunged so those old tickets are taken off your record. However, if you have a more recent ticket or conviction for even a minor traffic offense, it may be years before you can qualify for an expungement again. If you have questions about whether we can have your record expunged for you contact us.