Many Pennsylvania motorists who have never been arrested for drunk driving in the state can easily underestimate the harsh downsides linked with a DUI charge.
We duly note that inclination to downplay DUI consequences. It is simply inconceivable to many drivers that a drinking-impaired conviction in Pennsylvania can yield – in fact, routinely does result in – a lengthy bullet list of sharp penalties.
And thus we counsel the valued and diverse readers of our website at the established Quinn Law Firm in Erie to never take a DUI police-citizen interaction lightly. We stress on a relevant firm practice page that a DUI arrest/conviction is light years away from being “just a traffic ticket.”
In fact, it is a criminal offense that can carry weighty and sometimes starkly adverse effects that last a lifetime.
Drivers uniformly note the DUI-tied money exactions, of course, although they often do not realize that the total outlay involved can easily reach many thousands of dollars.
And then there are these additional penalties, which can feature singly or in combination in a given case:
- Jail and sometimes prison time
- Materially spiked insurance rates, or policy cancellation
- Imposed community service, coupled with probation
- Mandatory attendance in an alcohol education program
- Installation of an ignition-interlock device
- Driving license suspension
On top of those penalties, there is often a stigma that attaches to conviction. Moreover, current and future employment can be affected, as can be the right to travel overseas, take advantage of select education opportunities and enlist in the military.
Proven DUI defense attorneys know intimately what is at stake and how to employ strategies for clients that diligently seek best-case outcomes. An experienced legal team will scrutinize every aspect of the state’s case, commencing from the initial police stop and including a studied assessment of testing equipment, field sobriety tests, search-and-seizure behavior and all other relevant matters.
Pennsylvania authorities proceed with resolve and dispatch in DUI cases. Targeted motorists seeking an optimal outcome can do the same by timely enlisting the help of a knowledgeable attorney who is closely focused on securing optimal results in every case they handle. If you have been charged with a DUI, DWI or other criminal offense, call the Quinn Law Firm at 814-806-2518 for a free consultation regarding your case.
