Depends on the state.

In VA, you lose your license for 1 year. You can apply for a provisional license after 6 months. That's a license that allows you to drive to and from work, doctor's appointments, rehab/classes, and court with the use of a interlock breathalyzer installed in your car.

You have to attend VASAP classes - that's Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program. There's a fee for each class of like $10-20. I forget what my brother had to pay.

You have to pay a fine to MADD and attend a class hosted by them on the horrors of drunk driving.

Usually there's 30-day jail sentence where the judge suspends all of it.

There's also 1 year of probation and weekly probation meetings where you have to pee in a cup for them.

Then of course the fine and court costs. Plus any lawyer fees.

The first one, honestly, is not strict enough. Even the fine my brother had to pay wasn't that much. Maybe like $350 plus $75 fee.

Someone I know got a DUI a few years ago in VA.

According to the court page (anyone can look it up) he received:
-a 30 day jail sentence, but it was suspended.
-12 months probation
-his license was restricted to work, medically necessary trips, transporting a minor child, going to court/VASAP meetings and worship.

-Also fined a lot of money, and I'm sure he paid his lawyer a ton of money.

He had a pretty clean driving record/criminal record before this (one speeding ticket)

Anonymous wrote:You’ll go to jail for booking but are generally released in a fee hours with a court date. Depends on the state on if/when you lose your license. Some states like Va have mandatory guidelines for convictions that include jail time and loss of license. It’s not the courts problem on how you get to/from work, although some states allow for a limited license to only be used for work.

this. Totally depends on the jurisdiction. I work in a Police station. If the car is towed you can’t pick it up for 12 hours.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember reading a Wapo article/series about 15 years ago about what happens when you get a DUI. It featured a few seemingly reasonable people who had recently been charged with their first-time DUI and it wen through how their case was resolved. It struck me at the time bc one was the people was similar to me: a petite woman who claimed to just drink wine with dinner. She blew just over the limit on her way home to Arlington and didnt realize she was over the recently lowered standard.

Dont remember exact details of the whole series but my take-aways were: getting a DUI for the first time is the equivalent of spending $10,000 for taxi ride (pre-Uber days) and the people who got a lawyer faced fewer consequences.

Yep. It's a revenue grab, first and foremost. The virtue signaling and lecture from people like PP does not change that fact, nor does it make it okay.

DUI kills innocent people. The priority of money over human life does not change that fact, nor does it make it okay.

What happens?

You find a good criminal defense attorney, listen to him or her, and open your wallet.

Anonymous wrote:I remember reading a Wapo article/series about 15 years ago about what happens when you get a DUI. It featured a few seemingly reasonable people who had recently been charged with their first-time DUI and it wen through how their case was resolved. It struck me at the time bc one was the people was similar to me: a petite woman who claimed to just drink wine with dinner. She blew just over the limit on her way home to Arlington and didnt realize she was over the recently lowered standard.

Dont remember exact details of the whole series but my take-aways were: getting a DUI for the first time is the equivalent of spending $10,000 for taxi ride (pre-Uber days) and the people who got a lawyer faced fewer consequences.

Yep. It's a revenue grab, first and foremost. The virtue signaling and lecture from people like PP does not change that fact, nor does it make it okay.

Anonymous wrote:I remember reading a Wapo article/series about 15 years ago about what happens when you get a DUI. It featured a few seemingly reasonable people who had recently been charged with their first-time DUI and it wen through how their case was resolved. It struck me at the time bc one was the people was similar to me: a petite woman who claimed to just drink wine with dinner. She blew just over the limit on her way home to Arlington and didnt realize she was over the recently lowered standard.

Dont remember exact details of the whole series but my take-aways were: getting a DUI for the first time is the equivalent of spending $10,000 for taxi ride (pre-Uber days) and the people who got a lawyer faced fewer consequences.

No sympathy. If you drink (at all--even "just wine") don't drive. If you go out to dinner and know you will be driving home--don't drink AT ALL. It's that simple.

I remember reading a Wapo article/series about 15 years ago about what happens when you get a DUI. It featured a few seemingly reasonable people who had recently been charged with their first-time DUI and it wen through how their case was resolved. It struck me at the time bc one was the people was similar to me: a petite woman who claimed to just drink wine with dinner. She blew just over the limit on her way home to Arlington and didnt realize she was over the recently lowered standard.

Dont remember exact details of the whole series but my take-aways were: getting a DUI for the first time is the equivalent of spending $10,000 for taxi ride (pre-Uber days) and the people who got a lawyer faced fewer consequences.

Anonymous wrote:I can’t remember.

Helpful

I can’t remember.

Anonymous wrote:A friend’s DH started going to AA and it reduced his penalty. I don’t know what that penalty was. 5 years out and he is still in AA. It certainly helped them as they were on the brink of divorce.

I will add, he is in VA and did not lose his license for very long if at all.

A friend’s DH started going to AA and it reduced his penalty. I don’t know what that penalty was. 5 years out and he is still in AA. It certainly helped them as they were on the brink of divorce.

I feel answering this is walking into a field of landmines. Why / what exactly do you want to know?

You’ll go to jail for booking but are generally released in a fee hours with a court date. Depends on the state on if/when you lose your license. Some states like Va have mandatory guidelines for convictions that include jail time and loss of license. It’s not the courts problem on how you get to/from work, although some states allow for a limited license to only be used for work.

Do you go to prison? Lose your license? How do you get to work?