Multiple DUI Defense

Arizona is well known for its strict DUI laws. Multiple DUI offenders will almost certainly face increased penalties, including increasing amounts of jail time, higher fines and longer license suspension periods. Those who find themselves facing a second or third DUI conviction will most certainly need a good DUI defense attorney to help them navigate through the legal process.

Arizona’s Lookback Period

DUI penalties and “lookback periods,” the period of time that prior DUIs are relevant for sentencing, vary from state to state. Arizona’s lookback period is seven years, which means that if you are convicted of more than one DUI in seven years your penalties will increase. Receiving multiple DUI convictions is not an uncommon occurrence; in fact, experts believe that somewhere between one-third and one-half of all DUI convictions are second or subsequent offenses. The high number of multiple DUI convictions occurs in large part because of the seven-year lookback period. For example, a 21-year-old college student could be arrested after a party or night out, plead guilty and only receive a small fine and license suspension for less than year. If that same person then gets pulled over at age 28 when leaving a bar or restaurant after having a few drinks with friends and registers exactly .08 percent BAC, he or she is immediately labeled a “repeat offender,” even though the two arrests occurred far apart in both time and maturity level.

Multiple Offenses Increase Penalties

In Arizona, your first DUI conviction may include jail time from 24 hours to 10 days, a $250 base fine and a license suspension that can last from 90 to 360 days. Adding a second offense will increase your jail time to a minimum of 30 days and up to 90 days, a $500 base fine and a license suspension lasting one year. As if that was not bad enough, adding a third DUI offense will increase the jail time to a minimum of 4 months with a $750 base fine and one year of license suspension. An interlock ignition device may also be required in your vehicle after your first DUI conviction.

How To Handle Multiple DUI Offenses

Receiving just one DUI conviction can be life-altering. Receiving multiple DUI convictions is something no one can afford to ignore. If you are facing a second or subsequent DUI charge, you want the assistance of experienced attorneys to help you through the process. The Oswalt Law Group offers aggressive and dedicated DUI defense attorneys that may be able to help you mitigate the damage that a multiple DUI conviction can cause.