Don’t Let A DUI Upend Your Life
Each year, approximately 65,000 Pennsylvania residents are charged with driving under the influence (DUI). What began as a night of innocent fun can quickly morph into a lifetime of regret if you mistakenly decide to drive a car while intoxicated.
Though DUIs are commonplace, they carry particularly grave consequences that can affect your future and your liberty. A DUI conviction threatens to uproot your life and inhibits your ability to provide for your family. Immediately, you must seek the reliable and trustworthy advice of skilled DUI defense attorney Lee S. Cohen.
At Kelly, Parker & Cohen, LLP, we provide prospective clients with answers to burning questions – why you were arrested, what comes next and how you can fight the charges. To schedule a free initial consultation with our DUI defense attorneys, call Kelly, Parker & Cohen, LLP, now at 717-971-1974.
DUI Charges Include More Than Alcohol Intoxication
In Pennsylvania, intoxication can be induced by a drug, including a controlled substance or alcohol. Controlled substances are defined in The Controlled Substances, Drugs, Device, and Cosmetic Act and commonly include street drugs and pharmaceutical drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and painkiller pills.
Intoxication via alcohol is criminalized at a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08%. Pennsylvania law separates BAC into three separate groupings: (1) BAC of .08% to .099%, (2) BAC of .10% to .159% and (3) BAC of .16% or higher.
Consequences Of DUI Convictions
The consequences for drunk driving vary based on the exact BAC, the presence of a controlled substance and the number of prior DUI convictions. Possible jail terms for DUIs are as follows:
BAC ranging from .08% to .099%
- First-time offender: Six months’ probation
- Second-time offender: Up to six months in jail
- Third-time offender: Second-degree misdemeanor conviction, up to two years in jail
BAC ranging from .10% to .16%
- First-time offender: Up to six months in jail
- Second-time offender: Up to six months in jail
- Third-time offender: First-degree misdemeanor conviction, up to five years in jail
BAC ranging from .16% and higher or controlled substance
- First-time offender: Up to 6 months in jail
- Second-time offender: First-degree misdemeanor conviction, up to five years in jail
- Third-time offender: First-degree misdemeanor conviction, up to five years in jail
Additionally, the driver may be ordered to pay a fine, complete alcohol highway safety school, undergo a drug and alcohol assessment, install an ignition interlock device, and surrender his or her license for up to 18 months.
The ARD Program May Give You A Clean Slate
Pennsylvania counties may offer Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) to drivers with no offenses in the past 10 years, no serious injuries caused by the drunk driving, and no child passengers in the car at the time of arrest. ARD provides for the dismissal of your charges and expungement of your arrest record. ARD may require alcohol highway safety school, probation, and drug and alcohol assessment, and may also require license suspension, restitution, fees and other miscellaneous conditions. A competent DUI defense attorney can assist you with advocating for ARD if you are eligible.
We Are Available 24/7. Contact Us Now!
Kelly, Parker & Cohen, LLP, believes in providing clients with exemplary client service. Our DUI defense law firm has individuals available 24/7 to discuss your DUI charges, former prosecutors with insider knowledge into how the District Attorney’s Office handles drunk driving cases, and a team of investigators and expert witnesses ready to dissect the prosecutor’s case, conduct an independent investigation, and find exculpatory witnesses and evidence.
Our criminal defense lawyers are eager and prepared to tackle your DUI arrest. To schedule a free, no-hassle consultation, contact us today at 717-971-1974. If you prefer, send us an email.