First Offense DUI in Maine: Maine OUI Laws on Drunk Driving

For over a century, since horseless carriages became the primary mode of transporting people, impaired driving laws have been in place. This article addresses what happens for your first DUI offense, in terms of DUI school, community service hours, and required treatment programs.

Sitting in a county jail for an OUI first offense is just the start of your legal troubles. A drunk driving arrest, even for a 1st offense OUI, calls for legal assistance from top legal counsel to try to protect your job, your family, and your future.

Is an OUI a criminal offense? Yes, it is a misdemeanor. But, in the next section, you learn about the need to act within 10 days to prevent a 150-day suspension.

If you are arrested for OUI in the Pine Tree State, get a FREE lawyer consultation ASAP. That is because in a Maine drunk driving case, you only have 10 days to try to save your driver’s license. legal issues in a first OUI can be extremely tough.

What happens if you get an OUI in Maine? Operating under the influence (OUI-DUI) is a serious criminal driving offense in Maine. Two distinct legal problems arise from being popped for OUI-DUI in Maine:

1. The OUI charge begins a criminal prosecution in a criminal court for that "venue" (location). Your OUI lawyer handles this, starting with the arraignment, the first court appearance.
2. A civil action aimed at taking away your ability to drive will be docketed for an administrative license suspension action. Assuming that your OUI attorney files your appeal in time, this will be undertaken before a Hearing Examiner from the Maine Secretary of State's office, that oversees these Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles legal proceedings.

What happens first offense OUI in Maine? Your license to drive is at risk, even for a Maine OUI first offense. A refusal to submit to the post-arrest "implied consent" law chemical test creates an immediate driver license suspension at the RMV (Registry of Motor Vehicles) in ME (the Maine DMV). Let our law firm near me request a hearing and try for a hardship license.

This OUI refusal to be tested creates mandatory jail time of not less than 48 hours at any future DUI sentencing, if convicted. In addition, think of the higher insurance premiums you will pay after a first offence DUI conviction. It is time to "lawyer up!"

In Maine, a driver commits an OUI offense by operating a motor vehicle when under the influence of an intoxicant. In the alternative, another way the offense of operating under the influence in ME can be committed is to be driving while having a breath alcohol or blood alcohol content of 0.08 grams percent or higher.

Furthermore, if you took the post-arrest Maine implied consent test of your breath or blood alcohol concentration when arrested, your license can also be suspended if your BAC level was high. Getting immediate legal advice and guidance on how to properly file an administrative license appeal within 10 days may assist you in avoiding a breath test refusal suspension.

What happens you get a DUI-OUI? Operating a motor vehicle while under the influence is the name of drunk driving laws in Maine. The crime of operating a vehicle when intoxicated or when impaired by drugs in Maine is comprehensively covered in the provisions of Maine's OUI statute.

This article about DUI charges, first offense, will address a first DUI conviction in Maine. I will discuss that penalties for your first DUI conviction include loss of driving privileges. After reviewing Maine OUI penalties, including potential DUI jail time, even first time DUI offenders can see the necessity of hiring a DUI defense attorney with top lawyer ratings.

Other Court-related Consequences of Drunk Driving. The criminal aspects of a DUI arrest, including installing an ignition interlock device, can be higher than fines and court costs. If an accident happened when you received your DUI ticket, possible personal injury claims can pose a huge financial risk. For serious injury or death, the DUI first offense jail time can be for a felony.

Look at the unexpected consequences of a first OUI in Maine. If convicted, the first Maine OUI offense will cause a permanent criminal record for impaired operation of a motor vehicle. This DUI-OUI may affect future job choices.

Plus, with Canada "next door," traveling to Canada from Maine (or any other state) will require permission from our northern neighbor. Canada and several other nations put an embargo on those with such convictions to enter the country.

Finally, trying to lease or rent automobiles from most rental car agencies will be a challenge, possibly for many years. Enterprise has been the company that is most liberal for those customers with prior drunken driving convictions. This impediment is just one aspect of a laundry list of other loss of entitlement issues.

Additional links are provided below. These links can answer many other Maine OUI law questions. The topics include the cost of a DUI-OUI over the next 10 years, as well as addressing the availability of a restricted license if convicted of an OUI. In addition, read John Webb's tips about how to be forewarned about police checkpoints.

Each month, thousands of accused citizens across the USA are arrested for driving intoxicated. Accused citizens conduct various Google searches, asking questions such as, "should I hire a lawyer for a 1st DUI?" and "what can an attorney do to prevent an OUI?"

Operating a vehicle while intoxicated is a devastating crime, which might be averted with top-rated criminal attorneys near me. The overwhelming majority of working Americans that are not independently wealthy must try to avoid conviction for a 1st offense DUI-OUI.

Call today by dialing 207-283-6400, for your FREE DUI lawyer consultation. What do you have to lose by talking to our OUI attorneys for FREE?

• OUI trial victory by Big John Webb
• Winning a Maine OUI case at a Motion to Suppress