10 Things Happen to YOU when Convicted of Drunk Driving in Michigan

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10 Things Happen to YOU when Convicted of Drunk Driving in Michigan

  1. GET ARRESTED. You will get hand-cuffed and taken to jail, where you will be booked (registered), your photograph will be taken (and many times it will be publicly available online), your fingerprints will be taken, your arrest record will be created, some jurisdictions are considering taking DNA from all people arrested for any crime. You will then be placed in jail until the police consider you to be sober. Until then, you will remain in jail.
  2. COURT. You will have to appear in Court and either plead Guilty to the charges against you, in which case you will proceed to sentencing. Or you may plead not guilty, in which case you have an opportunity to discuss your situation and review the prosecutor’s case against you before deciding to plead guilty or go to trial by jury or judge. You should have an experienced, licensed attorney help you with the rules and reality of the Court.
  3. ALCOHOL EVALUATION. You will be required to have an alcohol evaluation that is performed by a counselor. The Alcohol Evaluation will look into your relationship with alcohol and whether you are a risk to have future issues with alcohol or other substances.
  4. LOSE YOUR LICENSE. You will lose your license for 180 days. However, you will be able to get a Restricted License that allows you to go to work and some other limited activities, after a period of full license suspension. If you are only convicted of Impaired Driving, you will be able to get a Restricted License right away, so there is no period of full suspension. On a Second Offense of any sort, your licensed will be REVOKED for ONE YEAR, and you will have to reapply to get it back. It is very difficult to get you license back, once it has been suspended for a second alcohol offense.
  5. FINES & COURT COSTS. You will have to pay fines and court costs related to you conviction. Many times you will also have to pay for the police department’s time or expenses related to your case. You can also be liable for civil damages for any damage you cause, including injuries to others.
  6. INTERLOCK IGNITION DEVICE. If your license is revoked, you will likely have to have an Interlock Ignition Device installed that only allows you to start the car if you blow into an alcohol breathalyzer that confirms you have not been drinking. These are expensive. Also, if you unfortunately test positive for alcohol, it will create a record and result in further license suspension.
  7. REQUIRED CLASSES & VICTIM IMPACT PANEL. You will be required to undergo any treatment and counseling the Court feels you need. You will also be required to attend a Driver Safety Class, as well as a Victim Impact Panel. The Victim Impact panel is where real people who have had horrible things happen to them and their loved ones talk about their experiences.
  8. JAIL. More and more Court in Michigan are sentencing people to jail on first offenses. Most Courts in Michigan sentence people to some jail on a second offense. On any offense, you will be placed in jail for a period of time when you are initially arrested.
  9. PROBATION. You will be placed on probation for a period of time, when you are sentenced. This will require you to stay out of trouble, sometimes provide urine samples, check in with your probation officer as they see fit, and undergo any treatment or community services work you need to do. If you do not complete this, it will result in jail time.
  10. INSURANCE RATES WILL GO UP. Once your insurance company finds out about your conviction, your rate of insurance will go up. This is a fact.