Driving Under Influence (DUI) is an offense committed when a driver drives a vehicle after drinking alcohol or drugs or other narcotic drugs. Increased alcohol levels in the driver’s blood lead to diminished mental and motor reactions which, in turn, reduces the ability of the driver to control the vehicle. This dramatically increases the risk of the driver committing errors of judgment and often results in accidents causing severe injuries and even death.
In Georgia, as in the rest of the United States, drunk driving is the single largest cause of motor vehicle-related fatalities and accounts for an alarmingly high 40% to 50% of the total number of motor vehicle-related deaths every year.
Administrative Actions Against DUI
Georgia’s Laws have administrative implications in addition to criminal law against Driving Under Influence DUI. A police officer may arrest a driver if he or she is at the exact age of 21 or above and is driving BAC of 0.08% or more and if he or she is below 21 and is driving with BAC 0.02% or more.
Under this law, if you are arrested for Driving Under Influence DUI, the police will confiscate your driving license and issue a temporary 30-day driving permit (for first offense), complete a notice of license suspension based on the nature of the offense along with a warrant, if applicable; and send the entire set to the Department of Driver Services.
The driver may schedule an administrative hearing within ten days of the notice of suspension /revocation. Consulting the DUI lawyer in beforehand is good. If the hearing goes against the driver, his license will be suspended or revoked based on his previous five-year driving record. If he has alcohol related convictions or suspensions for this five-year period, his license will be revoked for two years, and if not, then it will be suspended for 120 days. You may be eligible to drive using the Limited Driving Permit for a first or second DUI conviction.