How to Get Back On Your Feet after a DUI Conviction

How to Get Back On Your Feet after a DUI Conviction

Getting convicted for driving under the influence, or DUI, can have a number of implications. In addition to limiting your life via license restrictions imposed, you are also made to attend a DUI school which puts an eternal stigma on you. Driving in a drunk state is an irresponsible act no doubt. However, if one repents and pays for it, one should be able to get back to life like before. Unfortunately, that is not how it goes.

Destruction Caused by a DUI Conviction

A DUI conviction has the potential to destroy your career in a number of ways. If you know about these, you probably would be extremely careful before you get behind the wheel of a car after drinking. We hope that greater awareness of the implications will help prevent or reduce the number of DUI convictions that occur in America every year.

Here are some ways in which such a conviction can create havoc in your life:

• After the DUI conviction, your driving license is suspended for a certain amount of time, so there is a possibility that you might not be allowed to drive to work. This means the use of alternative means including taxi or bus, both of which are unreliable sources and can end up making you reach late every other day.
• There are quite a few companies that have the policy of firing any employee who has been convicted of a crime. If your company is one of these, you might lose your job and a promising future entirely, all for the sake of a few drinks and a briefly careless attitude.
• Some jobs require driving. If you work at one of those, the company’s insurance company is likely to refuse to insure you because of the DUI conviction. This means that your employer will also not be able to utilize your services, hence resulting in you getting fired or moved into a lower paygrade.
• Sometimes, you can get away with a diversion program. In some states, even if the company has proof of a handbook that states conviction of a crime qualifies for firing grounds, it may be waived off. However, other states expect a guilty plea from the convict in order to introduce him to the diversion program. In such a case, if your employer gets news of your conviction, you can get fired.
• Professional license-giving authorities take a very strict view of criminal records, and whether you’re applying to be licensed as a plumber or a lawyer, they expect to be informed of any convictions. A criminal record based on a DUI conviction may result in you losing your license and hence, your source of income.
• DUI convictions will require you to go in for hearings quite often. Quite often, they also usually entail prison time and mandatory DUI school time. This means you will have to miss out on work and may exceed your maximum allowed holidays. It would also be accompanied by embarrassing explanations of why you have been absent!
• Your DUI record stays with you for 10 years on your driver’s license and is also available in public records. Thus, when you apply for a job even a few years down the line, this may cause a problem because most applications ask you to fill out a section about whether you have been convicted for a crime.
• If you are young and looking for financial assistance in college, a DUI conviction is a sure shot way to never get it.
• If you are a commercial driver, the conviction will show on your driver’s license for 55 years which means almost your whole life. This could mean bidding farewell to your career, growth opportunities and financial freedom.

Clearing Your DUI Record

There are many websites that offer a number of solutions as to how you can clear your DUI record, the best solution nonetheless is to consult an experienced DUI Attorney before making any move. Here are some ways in which, with the help of your lawyer, you may be able to clear your record of any DUI conviction:

1. Varying from state to state, there is a possibility that your state allows complete obliteration of your arrest charges. Your local DMV is the best place to look for answers about this.
2. If you take a course that educates you completely on drugs, alcohol and their abuse, and show proof to the insurance company and the DMV, there is a good chance that your record will be cleared.
3. It usually takes 7 to 10 years from the time you are convicted for the charges to automatically be cleared. If you do not commit another felony and get convicted for it, the DUI conviction is likely to disappear within that period.

Is There Something that Cannot Be Cleared?

In case you are wondering, yes there are convictions of which your record cannot be cleared. This includes severe injury, extensive damage, vehicular manslaughter and drug felony charges. It is imperative that you talk to your lawyer in order to know the extent of charges and whether or not the state law allows exemption.

In any case, hiring a DUI Attorney under such circumstances is ideal because he or she can safeguard your rights, and ensure there is no stone left unturned to help you clear your record!