What You Should Do When You are Charged with A Drink Driving Offence

Studies reveal that at least 1000 drivers are being charged with drink driving offences  every year. If you have been charged with a drink driving offence and don’t know what steps to take next, leading criminal lawyers in Sydney can help you!

Before Going to the Court:

There are a few things you need to prepare before your matter goes to Court.

Get Legal Advice:

It is your choice whether to represent yourself or whether to have a lawyer represent you in Court. However, it is important to understand that the Court’s take drink driving matters extremely serious. You should get appropriate legal advice from professional criminal lawyers in Sydney as soon as possible. Instructing a lawyer is the best thing you can do.

Preparation:

Your lawyer will interview you to obtain all of your instructions such as how many drinks you had, the reason why you were driving, whether an accident was involved or whether anyone was injured. Your lawyer will then review all the facts provided by the police and your criminal record then advise you on whether it is appropriate to plead guilty or not guilty. Generally, in drink driving matters, a guilty plea is recommended however each case is unique. Assuming that a guilty plea had been entered, your lawyer will advise you to attend a Traffic Offenders Program and assist you in the preparation of subjective materials to present to the Court.

Traffic Offencers Program:

This program is intended to increase the awareness of your responsibilities whilst driving on the road. This program is highly recommended and will assist in reducing the penalty you receive in Court.

Engaging in a Lawyer

Engaging a private criminal defence lawyer is beneficial because of their solid expertise and experience in dealing with these matters daily. An experienced lawyer will have sufficient knowledge about the laws and standards associated with drink driving and be able to easily deal with any complexities that arise in your case. For example, even if the breath analysis machine is found to be accurate, the best criminal lawyers in Sydney will find ways to challenge the reading. They will get the assistance of experts such as pharmacologists to analyse the reading. New discoveries may reduce your charge or prove that you are not guilty of an offence and have your matter dismissed.

Going to Court can be a daunting experience as there are several procedures and rules that must be followed for a strong defence. An experience criminal lawyer will be aware of this and help provide a speedy resolution to your case.