Best Criminal Defense Lawyers in Savannah, GA

There is a wide range of field sobriety tests (FSTs), including heel-to-toe, finger-to-nose, one-leg stand, alphabet recitation, modified position of attention, fingers-to-thumb and hand pat. Most officers will use a set battery of three to five such tests. Unlike the chemical test, where refusal to submit may have serious consequences, you are not legally required to take any FSTs. The reality is that officers have usually made up their minds to arrest when they give the FSTs; the tests are simply additional evidence which the suspect inevitably fails. If you decide to take them, they will be used against you.

The officer will take your license when he or she arrests you for a DUI and will give you a form that is a temporary license for 45 days. If you refused the designated state test, which is different from the road test, your license will get suspended for one year after 45 days. If you took the test and your blood alcohol level was over .08, your license will get suspended as well. If this is the case, you will be eligible for a limited driving permit that would allow you to drive for the purposes of work, school, medical and court.

Generally speaking, a conviction for a first offense may involve a fine, a license suspension or restriction, attendance at a DUI education course for a period of time, and probation for perhaps three years. A short jail sentence may or may not be required. For a second offense, jail time is almost certainly required. Additional punishment may involve community service, ignition interlock devices and/or impounding of the vehicle.

There are certain things that need to be done in a timely manner. If you wait too long it may jeopardize your case and your ability to continue driving legally.

Drunk driving is a very complex field with increasingly harsh consequences. There is a minefield of complicated procedural, evidentiary, constitutional, sentencing and administrative license issues. A lawyer can review the case for defects, suppress evidence, compel discovery of such things as calibration and maintenance records for the breath machine, have blood samples independently analyzed, negotiate for a lesser charge or reduced sentence, obtain expert witnesses for trial, contest the administrative license suspension and more.