As you see the blue lights in your rear-view mirror, you probably suspect that you will not be walking away from the scene without some type of citation or ticket. After you drink and drive, you may receive a DUI/DWI, especially if the officer decides to perform a field test. If you have not been drinking heavily, then the officer could write a ticket and let you leave the scene by calling a friend or family member to come get you and the car. If there is someone else in the car who has not been drinking, then there is a possibility that the officer will let that person take the car home. However, in the unfortunate event, you are driving alone, your car could be impounded, and you will need to find another way to get home after being taken into custody and processed at the police station.
If you fail field sobriety tests, then chances are the officer will take you to jail and then issue the ticket. You will probably only be in jail for a night so that the alcohol has a chance to get out of your system. One of the first people you should call when you get out of jail is an attorney. You will be given a court date, and if you don’t go to court, a warrant for your arrest will likely be issued. When you go to court, there are a few things that could happen. If you have not been in trouble with the law before, the judge might make you pay fines or place you on probation. You could have to take some type of drug and alcohol class. As your encounters with law enforcement increase, the leniency from the judge will decrease. It is possible to lose your license or be sentenced to a jail term if you are convicted of DUI/DWI charges.
The best thing to do may be to contact an attorney so that he or she can tell you what to do in the event you have received multiple tickets. The attorney can talk to the prosecutor to see if there is any type of plea bargain available. This could get your sentence reduced so that you are not in jail.