Expunge Your DUI Arrest

In Rhode Island, DUI, driving under the influence, is known as an OUI, operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Rhode Island employs many methods to catch drunk drivers, including blanket patrols, mobile videotape, and the publication of enforcement campaigns. Rhode Island has some unusual, and strict, dui laws, probably in response to the state’s poor drinking and driving statistics.

In 2006 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), 46% of the total number of Rhode Island’s traffic fatalities were alcohol related. Also, the State has one of the highest rates of people who refuse to take a chemical test to determine blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels. Therefore, such a refusal now carries its own criminal penalties, including community service, OUI education classes, and fines, as well as other sanctions. In addition, administrative penalties include driver’s license suspension. The State does not allow hardship, restricted, or work licenses. Therefore, if your driver’s license is suspended or revoked, you will not be able to drive in Rhode Island – period.

A DUI in Rhode Island brings some serious penalties, which increase to correspond to high BAC levels. Even your first offense can bring up to one year in jail, and/or between 10 to 60 hours spent in community service. If your BAC was up to .08, the fine ranges between $100 and $300; if your BAC was up to .15, the fine ranges from $100 to $400; and if your BAC was above .15, the fine will be $500. No matter your BAC score, there will additionally be a highway assessment of $500. You are also required to attend a special course on drinking and driving. Administratively, your license will be suspended  from 30 to 180 days for a BAC score up to .08, from three months to 12 months for a BAC score up to .15, and from three months to 18 months for a BAC score above .15.

Rhode Island only has a five-year look-back period. This is the period of time that a Rhode Island DUI remains on your record. If you have a second dui arrest within five years of the first, you have a “prior,” and the judge will increase the dui penalties. Five years after a misdemeanor dui arrest, you can hire an experienced dui attorney to guide you in having the arrest expunged from your record. If your DUI was a felony, the record can only be expunged after ten years. However, your record must be clean of any other arrests, and you must maintain a clean moral character. And since Rhode Island participates in the Interstate Driver’s License Compact Agreement, any OUI or dui convictions from another state may also be counted as a prior conviction.

Originally published here.

DUI, also known as Driving Under Influence, is a very serious crime in the US today. It is not uncommon to see youngsters and adults alike driving under the influence of alcohol and hard drugs. The reason why this crime is not taken lightly is because it contributes to the larger percentage of auto accidents that happen in the country.

Someone that is drinking and driving or smoking and driving will be acting under influence and the sense of judgment would have been greatly impaired by reason of this. Such people can ram other drivers to death or over humans without knowing this; that is if they themselves do not end up dead in the same accidents. DUI arrest records are kept for every arrest that is made and such records are accessible to the public.

However, as much as there are legitimate or legal DUI arrests, there are also illegal arrests. There are instances where we will have bad patrol officers who for reasons best known to them arrest people who are not driving under influence and one bad thing about this is that once your name enters the DUI arrest records, it is placed in your driving records and this can make your insurance payments skyrocket and it can deny you job opportunities in the future. This is why it is very important that you check DUI arrest records to make sure your name is cleared of such arrests. You can never be too careful.

So whether you are checking these records to find out if a driver is safe to employ or you are checking it to make sure your name is clear, you will have to follow due process. If you want to clear your name of false arrests, you will have to check the records first and this is to be done on a public record lookup directory. These directories contain information on every arrest and you will find out if your name has a spot in those files. Immediately you spot that, you can quickly get a lawyer who is knowledgeable and has expertise in this area to speak for you. You must have proofs that you are being accused wrongly and you must be able to bring one or two witnesses with you. If the truth is established, it should not be hard to get your name cleared.

Originally published here.

A DUI charge is a very serious charge that you should not handle alone. An experienced DUI attorney can help protect your rights and guide you through this complicated legal matter.