Driving under the influence charges can impact your chances of employment, security clearance at work, immigration, college and licenses. When you feel the full force of DUI charges, your life will never be the same again.
Fortunately, some mitigating factors can help get you a break. Issues with evidence or other mitigating factors can give you a lesser sentence or dismiss your case completely. Here are some of these factors.
Calibration of the breath test equipment
The police must maintain and calibrate their breath test equipment to ensure it is accurate. Your results from a poorly maintained machine are invalid. That means that the court cannot use them against you.
Validity of the stop
Officers must have a reason to stop and arrest you. In some situations, like an accident, they do not have to observe your driving habits. However, they do need to have sufficient reason to believe that you were driving with a blood alcohol content over .08 percent to pull you over for drunk driving.
Other mitigating factors
You may have specific factors that could get your DUI charges reduced or dismissed. While these are not a defense factor, they can grant you special consideration. That includes military service, career impact, age, health conditions, prior traumas, immigration status, employment status and a lack of previous DUI convictions.
Using these factors to your advantage can get you a more satisfactory resolution to your case. While you may still have some penalties, they can be significantly reduced. That will allow you to get back to normal faster.
