There are a few things a person can and should do to survive a DUI, although in the end, it may turn out to be a costly evening of drinks. If a person finds themselves on the side of the road with a police officer, doing all kinds of ‘human tricks’ to determine if they are drunk or not, they need to cooperate and try to remain calm.

Once an individual is brought to the police station and processed with a DUI, they need to contact a Tampa DUI lawyer for representation. An expert attorney will have several ideas that will lesson the impact of a DUI on a person’s life and sometimes their wallet. An attorney could plea bargain the DUI – if it is an individual’s first offense – down to a lesser charge of reckless driving. Many judges will grant this motion because the jails are filled to capacity and a first time offender is not likely to repeat such a crime; however there are statistics on both sides of the DUI repeat offenders argument.

Other suggestions Tampa criminal attorneys often come up with, which many people don’t know that could help them lesson the severity of a DUI ticket are: using the 30 day grace period before your license is suspended to apply for a restricted, ‘work only license’ or to request an ignition interlock system which is a device that keeps your vehicle from starting if there is alcohol on your breath. Although first time offenders rarely receive the interlock device, it is worth asking the judge. Because if you are granted one, it should allow you to hold on to your driver’s license which is one of the ultimate goals after receiving a DUI.

According to a Tampa criminal attorney, there may be jail time involved after being arrested for DUI.  The worst-case scenario would probably be six months jail time and that is usually reserved for repeat offenders, however a good attorney could possibly get this sentence reduced, even for repeat offenders.  The most likely and best scenario would be 48 hours in jail and if you have a steady, stable job, you could ask the judge if you could serve your jail time at night or on weekends, also known as work release.