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Five DUI Consequences You Need to Know About

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Five DUI Consequences You Need to Know About

In Colorado, you can be found guilty of driving under the influence (DUI) if your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was at least 0.08% when you were pulled over. The offense can attract a number of challenges that could make your life harder. These include higher insurance premiums, financial penalties, and possible incarceration, especially if the incident involved injuries or a fatality. Even when the incident does not result in a fatal accident, a DUI can wreck your life.

Having a DUI can endanger your future and prevent you from pursuing unlimited options and opportunities. Today, we go through five of the most serious yet unexpected DUI repercussions.

What Are the Unexpected DUI Consequences in Colorado?

Although there are certain common implications associated with DUI charges in Colorado, you may also face other significant unforeseen consequences. The following are some of them:

1. Employment Challenges

Your DUI charge may hinder you from getting a job, depending on your job field. Professions that require driving—particularly a truck or a taxi—are unlikely to tolerate someone with a DUI.

Since it is common for educators to be sacked for having a DUI on their record, plenty of districts may overlook someone who has one. Many medical facilities also do not accept practitioners who have been convicted of DUI in the past.

You can also expect the following professional difficulties:

  • Interference with your work schedule. If you are convicted of DUI, you might be limited to working specific hours as judges allow you to commute within certain business hours if you agree to record such periods in court. If you are looking for employment, limited commuting hours could confine your options to those that match the court’s guidelines.
  • A muddy reputation. Hiring managers may have a negative impression of you if they see your conviction as a sign of a bigger problem, including habitual drunkenness. If they have other candidates to pick from, the company may have zero motivation to gamble on you.

2. Child Custody

Any parent’s substance dependency struggles have a serious influence on their capacity to protect their child. Courts will consider these struggles when deciding initial parental time judgments or petitions by either spouse to amend parental time arrangements.

If you drove while inebriated with your children in the car, the court will view it as a direct concern for the kids’ safety and may question your capacity to guarantee your children’s wellbeing. This may cause additional indictments, including child endangerment and abuse.

Losing your driving rights may complicate arranging parenting time. When you cannot pick up or drop off your children—or drive them to sports practice or perhaps the clinic—the court will consider such constraints when determining which solution best suits the children.

3. Insurance Costs

Having a DUI charge may affect your insurance premiums besides car insurance. This is relative to your insurer’s risk calculations.

If you drive while inebriated and get into a mishap, there is a risk of death; hence, your life insurance will likely become more expensive. Life insurers may view your DUI as a sign of an alcohol problem, something that raises the probability of premature death. A DUI charge may even cause an increase in your homeowner’s insurance payments.

A DUI conviction can significantly affect your insurance policies. Get in touch with our lawyers who will deal with these challenges and get you the answers you deserve.

4. Educational Setbacks

Most scholarships, particularly those funded by the government, have terms that state that if a person violates a law, their financial help gets revoked. With most students, their most important rule to follow is maintaining good marks. There are stipulations showing that if a scholar is subject to disciplinary measures—particularly for a crime (including DUI)—you will instantly have your scholarship withdrawn.

Institutions often have policies regarding individuals who get DUIs. Whenever they suspend you for a term, your scholarship may not be granted by the time you resume.

5. Adoption and Military Service Complications

Adoption is one of the most effective ways to give a needy child a caring and loving environment. However, it incorporates a significant amount of paperwork and a thorough background screening, which you may not pass if you have a past DUI charge.

A DUI conviction has serious long-term consequences on your ability to achieve your family’s aspirations. You may appeal if you provide evidence of treatment and rehabilitation to an adoption center.

With DUI, your ambitions of defending your country while getting free healthcare and education can be crushed. The government may eventually permit you to join the military, but only after undergoing an elaborate waiver process based on your charges, whether you injured anyone, and the offenses on your record.

You should not risk your military career and your desire to adopt. Our criminal defense lawyers can examine the facts of your case and counsel you on how to approach it to avoid the very worst potential consequences.

Let Our Attorneys Help You

We strongly advise you to get a competent lawyer to defend and counsel you through the process if you are facing a DUI conviction. Contact us for a free consultation even if you are unsure of whether you need a DUI attorney or if you want to learn more about your specific case.

Author Bio

alexis austin

Alexis Austin is the CEO and Managing Partner of Right Law Group, a Colorado Springs criminal defense law firm she founded in 2018. With almost a decade of experience in criminal defense, she has zealously represented clients in a wide range of legal matters, including DUIs, misdemeanors, felonies, domestic violence, and other criminal charges.

Alexis received her Juris Doctor from the University of Denver — Sturm College of Law and is a member of the Colorado Bar Association. She has received numerous accolades for her work, including being named among the “Top 40 Under 40” in 2018 by The National Trial Lawyers and featured in Authority Magazine’s “Top Lawyers” series.

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