Ever year, the state of Oregon receives up to 25,000 cases for DUI. For DUI cases in Oregon or also known as drinking under the influence, two days in jail is the minimum sanction or an eighty hour’s worth of community service together with a $1000 fine.
DUI is a Class A misdemeanor in Oregon, unless the offender has been convicted of DUI at least 3 times in the ten years preceding the date of the 4th or subsequent offense. The offender is then charged with a Class C felony. Class A misdemeanors are punishable by up to a year in prison, a $6,250 fine, or both. Class C felonies can result in up to five years in prison, a $125,000 fine, or both.
What Happens To First Time DUI Offenders in Oregon?
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Normally, a fine that ranges between $500 to $1000 will be charged to you. If you have never been convicted with DUI in the past, and you meet the other necessary requirements, you may then be eligible for a diversion program.
Once you participate in this kind of program, it will then be reflected in your driving record and your insurance company will be given access to that record as well. If you are eligible for this type of program, you have to then plead guilty for DUI to be able to get the benefits of diversion and if you fail diversion you will not be able to subject yourself to a trial but will be sentenced.
Once you have been stopped or arrested by an attending officer, know that there is an automatic license suspension in your hands. This is also known as the administrative license suspension (APS). You can stop this kind of suspension to take place by addressing it within a period of ten days upon receipt of the said suspension. This suspension is independent for what may take place to you in court.
If one the other hand you subject yourself and take the breath test and the results show that you failed it, you will be suspended of your driving license by the Department of Motor Vehicle of DMV for a period of at least ninety days.
Underage DUI in Oregon
Drivers under the age of 21 are considered legally drunk if they have any amount of alcohol in their blood.
DMV may suspend a person’s driving privileges if the person is between the ages of thirteen and twenty at the time of the violation and is convicted of an offense that included the possession, use, or abuse of alcohol. If it is the first order, the order denying driving privileges (suspension) will be in effect for one year or until the person turns seventeen years old, whichever is longer; or one year or until the person turns 18 years old, whichever is longer, if it is the second or additional order.
Get DUI Help in Oregon
In 1996, the incidences of fatal and injury traffic crashes decreased from a reported 25,024 cases to about 18,512 in the year 2000. Likewise, the cases of such incidences in Oregon also decreased from 0.86 in 1990 to 0.53 in the same year.
Some nighttime fatal and injury crashes have also declined by 33% from 3,567 in 1990 to 2,391 in 2000.Those fatalities that occurred with the influence of alcohol and that have been reported have also decreased from 45.8% in 1990 to 38.6% in 2000.
Some DUI related arrests for the use of drugs without any intake of alcohol has increased on the other hand from 104 in 1990 to 744 in the year 2000. This is due mainly to the Drug Recognition Expert Program that trains officers to recognize drivers who are intoxicated by both drugs and alcohol while driving. There is also a reported percentage of decrease for breath test refusals amounting to 11.9% in the year 2000 as compared to a larger percentage of 18.4 in 1990.
Hire an Experienced Oregon DUI Attorney
The moment you are charged with a DUI or drinking under the influence charge in the state of Oregon, you can simply do two things and consider them greatly on your part.
The first thing that you can do is simply to take your offense and your conviction very seriously because when you don’t you can be certain that it will take a great toll on your opportunities for employment, as well as your ability to travel and be free as a person, as well as your life in general especially when it comes to your future.
You can also hire the services of a well experienced and equally knowledgeable Oregon DUI lawyer and attorney to help you with your case.
There is no denying the fact that it is a great challenge for most people, especially those who do not have any background about laws to understand the Oregon DUI laws and courtroom proceedings. Therefore it would do you a lot of good to hire the services of a highly qualified attorney to whom you can entrust your case with against drunk driving. The one you should choose should have studied on the focus of drunk driving defense. When you do you will find that your case will work to your advantage. And so if you are decided to find an Oregon DUI lawyer or attorney, know that you wouldn’t be charged with anything in your initial interview and everything will be kept a secret between you and your lawyer.