In North Carolina, you may find yourself in a situation in which you have been charged with DWI and need a Charlotte dwi attorney. DWI stands for Driving While Impaired and is not the same as a DUI which stands for Driving Under the Influence. Though the terms are often used interchangeably, in North Carolina, the correct terminology is DWI. When you are accused of an alcohol-related offense, there are various reasons to consult with an experienced Charlotte DWI attorney. The process in North Carolina, which is different than the process in many states, can be very daunting. You automatically lose your license for a period of thirty days even before you are convicted. You are eligible for a limited driving privilege after ten days. A Charlotte DWI attorney can help with the process and compiling the necessary documents.
Charges a Charlotte dwi attorney can help to deal with
Furthermore, there are typically various stages involved in a Charlotte DWI arrest, all of which have protocol that the arresting or investigating officer must follow. There must be reasonable suspicion to pull you over or to investigate then there must be probable cause to arrest. This means that the officer must have reasonable suspicion to pull your car over, such as you were speeding, swerving or that you were involved in an accident. Then the officer must have probable cause to arrest you. This is usually based upon various questions that the officer may ask you or based upon field sobriety tests that he asks you to complete. Often times, there is a videotape of the pre-arrest scene. Therefore, you may have grounds to challenge your arrest, even if you were technically guilty of the actual DWI.
After the arrest, the officer then tries to get you to breathe into the Intoxilyzer machine in order to determine if your blood-alcohol level was over the legal limit. Once again, there is protocol that the officer must follow and there are legal ways to challenge the result, even if it is over the legal limit. There are also potential constitutional challenges based on how long you are detained. A conviction under North Carolina DWI law is not always as cut and dry as whether you blew above the legal limit. A Charlotte DWI conviction carries a mandatory year long license suspension, and if you blow a .15 or higher and are convicted, you will have to install a device in your vehicle that keeps your car from starting if it senses alcohol on your breath. Subsequent convictions carry even longer periods than that. An experienced Charlotte DWI attorney can help determine what defenses you have at your disposal as well as help with sentencing (if convicted), necessary paperwork along the way (like with limited driving privileges) and with simply helping to alleviate the stress and pressure that the process puts on you. Since a Charlotte DWI conviction has severe consequences, DWI defense should not be taken lightly.
This article on Charlotte DWI lawyer and Charlotte DUI is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. You may want to seek a Charlotte attorney at SeiferFlatow if you are dealing with charges that requires a Charlotte DWI attorney that has experience in these matters.
