How your Greensboro DWI charge will affect your life

For many people, they assume the worst when charged with DWI. While there is not one answer that applies to every case, most of our clients are not facing jail time and many are able to continue to drive legally after we finish their case. Before you worry unnecessarily, talk to a lawyer about your facts. You may be making things much worse in your head than they will be in reality.

In many cases, jail can be avoided. Even in more severe cases there may be an alternative to jail time such as in-patient substance abuse treatment. Before you lose sleep at night worrying about your DWI resulting in jail time, talk to an attorney who is experienced in DWI defense about the details of YOUR case and find out what the options look like for you.

Additionally, any time someone is convicted of DWI in North Carolina, their license is revoked for at least one year. In many cases, it is possible to petition the court for a limited driving privilege. This privilege can make the difference between not driving for a year and being able to drive for work, to take your children to school, to attend religious services and even go to the doctor’s office or grocery store. 

Everyone is not automatically eligible for a limited driving privilege. It is a separate process that your Greensboro DWI lawyer will have to request from the court. There are additional challenges in cases where the Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) is .15 or higher. In that case you will need a machine called an Ignition Interlock installed in your vehicle before you can ask the court for a limited driving privilege. In these high BAC cases, there is also a 45 day waiting period after the case is finished before the court can even consider a request for driving privileges.  

We live in a very car-dependent country and most areas in Guilford County have limited access to public transportation. If you live outside Greensboro or High Point, you may not have any access to busses. That means that your whole life can be affected if you cannot drive.

The option of a limited driving privilege can be wonderful news to many people. Mark, one of our prior clients, owned his own private limousine business. His ability to drive was going to make or break his ability to continue to operate his business. The nature of his job meant that his busiest times were nights and weekends. He also never knew what time his job would end at night since each customer had specific needs. 

Another big concern for Mark was that he was a divorced father of two young children and had shared custody with his ex-wife. He needed to be able to drive when his children were with him to take them to school, activities and daily activities. After his conviction for DWI, we were able to successfully ask the judge to grant him special limited privilege hours beyond standard days and times. He was able to drive at any time, day or night and on the weekends. Those extended hours and days saved his business and he was able to continue life as normal with his children. 

We were able to avoid financial and family hardships that his Greensboro DWI could have caused. He felt such relief after his case was finished and he was able to move forward. After he drove with his limited driving privilege for a year, he was able to get his regular driver’s license back with no restrictions and put his case behind him. Knowing how much was on the line for Mark made it very important for us to carefully consider all of the factors in his case and customize our plan of defense. Call our office today to get started with an assessment of your Greensboro DWI case.