Your New Year Should Not Start With A DUI​

Imagine that it is New Year’s Eve. You are at your best friend’s house. And, as most do on New Year’s Eve, you are partying it up!​

Right as New Year’s Day begins, you decide to go home. You hop in your car and head to your home in Highland Park.​

A few minutes into your drive, a police car signals for you to pull over. You do so, and the officer asks if you have been drinking. And then, the officer tells you to take a breathalyzer.​

The results of this breathalyzer are glaring: a blood alcohol level of .09. Just moments after these results appear, you are charged with driving while under the influence.​

Going over what it means to be charged with a DUI and speaking with an experienced Chicago DUI attorney will help you obtain the verdict you deserve.​

How Can You Avoid A DUI?​

You can avoid a DUI by doing any one of the following:​

1. Staying at a nearby friend’s home.
2. Using public transportation to get home.
3. Relying on an Uber, Lyft, or taxi service to get home.
4. Ask a friend to be your designated driver.
5. Staying at a nearby hotel/motel.

Every single one of the above will help you avoid a DUI.​

What Are The Consequences Of A DUI?​

The state of Illinois takes driving while under the influence very seriously. And, for this reason, a DUI conviction in Illinois will lead to your license being suspended for at least one year.​

On top of this one-year license suspension, you may spend up to one year in jail. You may also be forced to pay a fine of up to $2,500.​

Certain factors can enhance the penalties. These include things like whether or not you’ve been convicted of a DUI in the past and whether or not you were driving with a minor, among other things.​

A good example of the above is: if you have been convicted of a DUI in the past, your license will be suspended for at least 5 years. There’s also a good chance you will need to spend five days in jail.​

How Can An Attorney Help?​

Every DUI charge is rooted in the evidence against you. More often than not, this evidence consists of the alcohol test you took, as well as what the officer who charged you has to say about your alleged behaviors.​

A good attorney will look at the evidence against you and then find the holes that exist within this evidence. Doing so will help you make your case.​

Just as an example, if you took a breathalyzer test, your attorney may question this test. They may question whether it was administered properly or whether the equipment used has been properly evaluated.​

Poking holes in the evidence against you – and what led to this evidence – will help you obtain the best possible verdict. This verdict will help you walk away without a DUI on your record.​

Get Qualified Legal Help Today​

When facing a DUI charge, the quality of your legal representation can shape the course of your life. At Glasgow & Olsson, we don’t just practice DUI defense—we help define it.​

Thomas Glasgow is widely recognized as a leading authority on DUI law in Illinois. He lectures statewide for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, contributes to the definitive DUI legal manual used by attorneys across the state, and is a trusted legal voice on major networks including ABC, CNN, NBC, CBS, and Fox News.

When your freedom, reputation, and future are on the line, experience, judgment, and respect matter most.​

Speak with our Chicago DUI defense team today and learn how decades of trusted experience can protect what matters most to you.