What You Need to Know about NY DWI Charges
Even if you are not a resident of New York, your driver’s license can be affected by a NY DWI conviction. All ramifications of DWI charges, from fees to jail time to license suspension, are applicable to any driver. Additionally, if you are an out-of-state driver, your driving privileges can be affected in your home state. A DWI conviction stays on your criminal record, which can make travel to Canada difficult, and prevent you from obtaining certain jobs. You need to know what to expect after a DWI charge, and all of this can be explained to you by an experienced DWI attorney who will lay out all the information you need to know about a New York DWI.
There are many aspects of a New York DWI case, such as conditional licensing (available through the Drunk Driving Program), Driver’s Responsibility Assessment DWI surcharge ($750), DMV Hearings, and license revocation. If you are not familiar with these terms, or if you do not know whether they are going to apply to you (it is likely at least one of them will) then you need to contact a DWI attorney as soon as possible, or you risk losing your license from a few months to several years!
New York DWI Penalties
New York has toughened their DWI laws in the past few years. The state has added greatly enhanced potential penalties for alcohol-related driving offenses, and now has a charge called aggravated driving while intoxicated (ADWI), which is used when a driver has a blood alcohol content above .18%. The penalties include increased fines and additional driver’s license penalties. Additionally, if you refused a breath test, you too will face similar enhanced penalties.
New York also has an offense called DWAI (driving while ability impaired) which can be charged if your blood alcohol content was higher than .05 but lower than .08.
A first conviction for DWAI can be fined up to $500 and your license can be suspended for 90 days. You also face the possibility of being sentenced to jail for 15 days. A DWI charge can be fined up to $1,000 for a first conviction and your license may be revoked for at least 6 months, and the jail term can be 1 year. Prior alcohol-related driving offenses will make licensing more complicated, and penalties will be harsher.
Due to the complications a DWI can cause licensing, and the serious fines you face, you need to contact an experienced DWI attorney as soon as possible. With the help of an attorney, you can contest your license suspension and plea for reduced or dismissed charges.
Call 24/7 800-852-8005
