If you find yourself arrested for DUI, you’ll need legal help fast. You should know what a Maryland DUI attorney can do for you.
What are Maryland’s DUI laws?
Maryland has two sets of drinking and driving laws: driving under the influence (DUI) and driving while impaired (DWI). A person can be arrested for DUI when their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is 0.08% or higher. A police officer can also stop a vehicle when they have probable cause and ask the driver to take a field sobriety test or breath test. If the person fails those tests or refuses to take them, it could lead to a DUI arrest.
How can a DUI attorney help?
A DUI attorney can review the facts in your case and investigate what happened if necessary. This helps them build a strong defense, but sometimes, the case may not even get to trial.
If you have been arrested for DUI, your attorney can make sure that the arrest was lawful. Police officers don’t have the right to stop someone without reasonable suspicion and charge them. For example, an officer can pull over a driver who has a broken taillight and ask them to take a breath test if the person appears intoxicated. If there was no reason to stop the driver, it wouldn’t be allowed by the court.
By law, you cannot be charged with DUI if the arresting officer failed to read you your Miranda rights. This includes mentioning that you have the right to an attorney. An attorney can learn whether this is relevant to your case.
A Breathalyzer test must be properly calibrated. If it was improperly administered, the results might be false. An attorney could find out if this occurred in your situation. If the test was not calibrated, it would be inadmissible in court, which could lead to the charges against you being dropped.
DUI charges are serious. You have the right to fight them.