If you’re facing a drunk driving charge, you want to have an experienced criminal defense attorney to protect your rights and assist you. This is particularly important because you could be facing a suspended license, jail time, and heavy fines. It’s likely that you will be facing all three of these repercussions, particularly if this isn’t your first offense.

When you hire a DUI lawyer, they will be able to inform you of your rights and responsibilities and provide counsel throughout the process. Furthermore, if you are contesting this charge, they will be able to gather evidence on your behalf. This might include interviewing witnesses, viewing video feed, and questioning the validity of any chemical tests that may have been administered.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) reports that before their first arrest, the average drunk driver will have driven approximately 80 times when intoxicated. MADD also reports that every day, there are approximately 300,000 drunk drivers on the road. However, fewer than 4,000 of these individuals are arrested.

On an annual basis, there are 1.4 million individuals arrested for their first DUI, according to One DUI Insurance. Depending on where you live, this can cost an average of $10,000. In some areas, you may be expected to pay substantially more or less.

When hiring a DUI attorney, it’s important to be completely honest with them at your initial consultation and throughout the process. While the reasons for this should be obvious, it’s important for your DUI defense so there aren’t any surprises. Furthermore, despite your facing DUI charges, this can be a positive demonstration of your overall character.

While you may need a DUI defense now, you can avoid needing one again in the future by not driving while under the influence. One effective way to avoid future incidents is to hire an Uber. A recent Entrepreneur article discussed a Temple University study that focused on the effects of Uber’s availability in California and a reduction in DUI deaths.

The Temple University researchers discovered that during 2009-to-2014, California’s DUI deaths were reduced as a result of Uber’s entry into the marketplace. Additional statistics from the Temple University study showed that California’s alcohol-related driving deaths, on average, decreased 3.6-to-5.6% as a result of having available Uber services.