DUI in Georgia Penalties
DUI in Georgia penalties after a conviction are harsh. If convicted a drunk driver faces:
- Mandatory jail time
- Community service
- DUI Classes
- Court fines
- Higher car insurance rates
- Loss of driver’s license
- Ignition interlock device
- Probation
- DUI diversion programs
- Trouble renting a car
- Job loss
- Limited new job opportunities
These are just the obvious consequences of a drunk driving conviction. The consequences of being found guilty of a DUI in Georgia will last your entire lifetime. A DUI stays on your record for life. When you go to apply for a new job, you will have to explain why you were arrested for impaired driving. Things can get worse. If you were convicted of felony DUI because your impaired driving caused property damage, injuries, or death, the consequences ramp up pretty quickly. Jail time is counted in months and years, not days. Community service is weeks, not hours. DUI probation can go on for years.
The burden of all these penalties is why you should never plead guilty at your first arraignment. A lot of people do plead guilty at their first court date because they want to “get it over with and move on.” But there is no “moving on” from DUI in Georgia penalties. Even if this is your first DUI and you are charged with a misdemeanor, even if your family and friends says the first one is no big deal, the sobering fact is that it is a big deal. Thirty years ago, a drunk driving charge in Georgia seemed like a minor traffic offense. Court fines were in the hundreds of dollars and community service could be completed in one weekend. Those days are long gone. Fast forward to 2016 and a Georgia DUI conviction is taken very seriously by the courts.
Every city in Georgia has drastically stepped up their pursuit of drunk drivers, and in addition to the local police, the Georgia State Patrol Nighthawks are solely focused on pulling over anyone who is driving erratically. The Nighthawks started in the Atlanta area, but have expanded into Macon, Columbus, Athens, and Savannah. A third layer of traffic law enforcement are the university police patrols, for example, the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, and the Savannah College of Art and Design. Each department works together to cover all the major Georgia roads, and an increased police presence is seen during UGA football games, Atlanta Falcons football games, and St. Patrick’s Day events.
Never plead guilty to a DUI in Georgia no matter how bad your arrest seems. Our Georgia DUI lawyers have successfully represented clients whose case, to them at least, seemed hopeless. We have a long list of DUI defense strategies that have resulted in thousands of charge reductions and acquittals over 30 years. An arest is not a conviction™! Call 844-832-6384 day or night and tell us what happened. We listen very carefully to your side of the story, and then offer ways to fight back. You may not know this, but the Georgia DDS can suspend your driver’s license up to one year even if your criminal case is just getting started. You only have 10 days to stop the DDS from pulling your license. We can file a letter of appeal for you. Call now and regain control of your future.
