How a DUI Can Impact Your Life
December 13, 2022
If you are charged and convicted of DUI in Georgia, it can greatly impact your life – now and in the future. From impacting your employment eligibility to your personal relationships, DUI convictions can significantly shape your future.
Even though some results of a DUI charge can be mitigated and minimized, others can take a toll that may be hard for you to overcome.
The Impact of a DUI Conviction in Georgia
If you are charged with DUI in Georgia, hiring an experienced attorney is important. They can review your charges and help you build a solid defense.
While hiring an attorney is an important step, understanding how a DUI conviction may impact your life can help you see why hiring this legal representation is smart. Some of the ways this conviction may impact you include the following:
Employment Opportunities
Some individuals with DUI convictions find it difficult to find viable employment opportunities. With a DUI conviction, securing a job involving driving will be impossible. Even if a job doesn’t require you to drive, the conviction may impact your eligibility.
Usually, a job application will require you to disclose your criminal history. This includes DUI charges and convictions. If you have a criminal history, you won’t be considered for many different positions.
Alon with impacting your future job opportunities, being convicted may affect your current job status. Sometimes, you must require your current employer of a criminal conviction, which can impact your employment.
Car Insurance Rates
A DUI charge or conviction in Georgia will also affect your car insurance rates. Based on the severity of your situation, a DUI conviction may result in your insurance being canceled or revoked. In these situations, finding a different company to provide coverage may be impossible. If you do find a new policy, the premiums may be so high that you can’t afford them.
If you have an insurance provider that does not cancel your existing coverage, then the DUI charges or conviction will (at the least) cause a rate increase.
Personal Relationships
Being convicted of a crime, even a DUI, can affect your personal relationships. Being charged with or convicted of DUI will impact your relationships with your family, spouse or partner, and friends. If you are convicted of the crime, rebuilding these relationships may take a lot of time and effort.
Potential Legal Consequences
The legal consequences are the most immediate impact of facing DUI charges or a conviction. The legal penalties for DUI vary based on if it is your first, second, or subsequent time and the circumstances surrounding the situation.
A first DUI charge will likely have less severe consequences than subsequent charges. Some of the legal consequences of a DUI conviction include the following:
- Significant fines
- Jail time
- Community service hours
- Court-ordered installation of an interlock device for your vehicle
- Court-ordered substance abuse counseling
It’s important to note that these are just some of the legal repercussions of a DUI.
Don’t Wait to Hire a Georgia DUI Attorney
If you are charged with a Georgia DUI, it’s important to find and hire a DUI attorney immediately. They can review the charges you are facing and help build a solid defense for your case. Don’t try to fight these charges alone. You have a better chance of a desirable outcome when you hire an attorney for help.
Take time to find the right attorney and ensure they have the experience needed to help you with the charges you are facing.