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DUI: When to call a lawyer

A DUI starts with flashing lights and almost always ends with a series of very large checks.

In between, you could spend a night in the clink. You'll meet a bail bondsman. Some states will impound your car. And you can kiss low car insurance rates goodbye. You'll have to deal with the courts as you attempt to keep a conviction off your record, and you'll have to deal with the DMV as you try to keep your license.

Do you need a lawyer?

Lawyers say yes, of course. But even they admit a first-time offender willing to take his lumps might come out OK.

"If you know your blood alcohol is above the limit and that you're likely to be convicted, you may be able to put yourself at the mercy of the court," says Jim Ellis, a Belleville, Ill., attorney who specializes in drunk en-driving cases "But if it's a second offense [or more] or there was an accident, you'd better have an attorney."

And if your aim is to avoid a conviction or to try to keep your driving privileges, a lawyer who knows which levers to pull is almost certainly your best shot.

The stakes: your license and your auto insurance

There are no guarantees you'll escape a conviction, but having professional guidance raises the chance of a less severe outcome. Considering the consequences -- from license revocation to hefty fines to much higher insurance premiums -- it pays to be prepared.

"Drivers convicted of drunken driving face huge increases in their auto insurance rates , which can easily triple or more, if the insurer agrees to continue carrying the offender," says Elizabeth Mosely, a spokesperson for the Insurance Information Institute.

Premium hikes depend on many elements -- from your prior driving record to where you live -- but most insurance experts agree that a conviction can bring a jump of 30 percent or more. A CarInsurance.com report points out that a typical DUI can cost the driver at least $10,000 and possibly as much as $20,000 in legal fees, state fines and penalties, lost time from work, driving- school expenses, higher insurance costs and raised liability limits.

Typically, a driver will immediately have his license suspended from six months to one year. Once the license is reinstated, most states require that the driver have an SR-22 certificate verifying adequate liability coverage for three years.

Take the sobriety tests?

It usually starts with the flashing lights of a patrol car. Once you're pulled over, the officer will suggest a series of "field sobriety tests" to judge your physical state and a Breathalyzer test for a body alcohol reading. Lawrence Taylor, an attorney who heads a group of Southern California law offices and runs the California Drunk Driving Law Center, says you should decline the field tests.

European Vacation | Venice Car Accident Attorney?s Top Ten Things ...

1. You see the shape of a piece of furniture ahead in your lane of traffic.

2. You get boxed in by trucks.

3. You see someone on the side of the road and look back as you pass them by.

4. Something falls off your seat and you reach for it.

5. You spill something down your clean white shirt.

6. You hear a siren.

7. You see flashing lights behind you.

8. You hit a pothole the size of Texas.

9. You start hydroplaning.

10. You hit a curve at too high a rate of speed.

Here are ten useful tips of advice from a car accident lawyer to follow if you have been in an accident. You can also learn more about how to handle a car accident in Venice, or any city, by calling the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson at any of the numbers which can be found on our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com  and learning how we can assist you.

Obviously, if you have had an accident, and you are reading all of this advice, it may have been a few hours since the accident. However, if you ever have another accident, or if it’s only been a few hours since you were hurt, here’s what you should do from the start.

First, take a look around and determine if you or anyone, are hurt. If so, taking steps like trying to prevent further injury or loss of blood are the most important thing you can do. Even if some other driver caused you to be injured, it’s just good manners to help the other driver if they are hurt. They may even be so thankful that they admit their fault to you. The worst thing you can do is get angry or start a fight.

Second, make sure everyone is safe from being injured further. If you are in the middle of traffic, and you are dizzy, sit down away from traffic. If your vehicle is a traffic hazard and you have accident warning devices like flares or triangles, put them out on the road to warn other drivers and get away from the car. Let the police an other emergency personnel investigate the scene with the vehicles in place and move them more safely at a later point.

Third, call the police. Accident reports are extremely helpful if the police will do such a report. Let the police know you are injured immediately. Answer the police questions honestly. But if you are dazed or confused, let them know you need medical treatment and answer only what you feel sure about. Remember, your statements can and will be used against you if you admit fault, and it will be too late and too fishy to later say you didn’t know what you were saying at the scene. Police know that your best recollection is immediately after an accident.

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