Arizona DUI laws and penalties are the harshest in the nation, according to several recent news reports. A 2015 survey by WalletHub.com, which used several factors to rate the severity of each state’s DUI laws, ranked Arizona #1 on its list of strictest states for DUI penalties. See https://wallethub.com/edu/strictest-states-on-dui/13549/#key-findings and http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/29931108/wallethub-az-ranked-as-strictest-on-high-risk-drivers
If you are charged with a DUI, getting a DUI attorney at the soonest possible opportunity can be the most important thing you do because your rights could be adversely be affected by your failure to hire an attorney to protect those rights. Arizona law changes regularly and so it is not only crucial you hire an experienced DUI lawyer, but also that the lawyer you choose knows how DUI cases are prosecuted in Phoenix, each one of the different courts in Maricopa County and throughout Arizona.
It has never cost a person more to be charged with or convicted of DUI in Arizona, personally, financially or emotionally. As well as the obvious possible penalties, such as a mandatory jail sentence, license suspension and other issues, fines and fees, etc., there are a number of additional consequences such as vehicle impounds and ignition interlock devices, fingerprint clearance card issues, child custody, immigration issues, your future employment, credit, housing, insurance premiums increases or cancellations, and more.
Nor has it ever been easier for law enforcement to charge a person with DUI. Some people are not aware that you can be charged with and convicted of DUI in Arizona even if your blood alcohol level is under the .08% legal limit that most are familiar with. Arizona law states you are driving under the influence if you are driving or in actual physical control of a motor vehicle if impaired to the slightest degree.
The slightest traffic infraction, particularly during nighttime hours, can make you a target of law enforcement attention. One glass of wine with dinner and a traffic accident thereafter, and even if you were not determined to be at fault for the accident you could, and very likely would, be charged with DUI in Arizona.
A person convicted of DUI in Arizona for the very first time will face a minimum of a mandatory jail sentence, fines and fees of almost one thousand five hundred dollars, alcohol counseling classes, and installation and monthly maintenance of an ignition interlock device for a minimum of six months, up to a year.
I have been practicing criminal law for thirty-six years, and did my first DUI jury trial in 1979. If you are charged with DUI, anywhere in Arizona, don’t wait – call me now to see how my many years of experience can help you get the best possible result for your case.