Drunk Driving Accident Laws and Penalties

The Marietta & Atlanta drunk driving accident attorneys of the Miller & Brown, P.C. offer information on the difference in penalties involved in drunk driving accident cases. 

The passage of HB 336 (The new Georgia drunk driving law) in 2008 has changed the way DUI is regarded legally in Georgia.  The bill has the endorsement of the Georgia Office of Highway Safety, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and the State District Attorney’s Association because in the words of a former prosecutor “random fatalities involving drunk drivers are more dangerous to the public and more frequent than the murder rate.”  A DUI can rise to the level of a felony without an accident under the new legislation. 

However, once an accident has occurred and serious injury or fatality is caused, the offense can have felony consequences including but not limited to:

• Longer prison sentences in harsher settings
• Loss of right to vote
• Loss of right to practice certain professions, such as law and teaching
• Cannot own guns
• Cannot serve in the military

Georgia has a  three prior felonies - three strikes law, which provides that a person who already has been convicted of two felonies may be sentenced to the maximum sentence (even life in prison) if they are convicted of a third offense.

Miller & Brown attorneys are seasoned criminal defense lawyers with deep expertise in Georgia accident litigation.  If you are seeking DUI accident lawyers in Atlanta, Georgia you need to consider a firm that is committed to defending your rights by aggressively filing all appropriate motions as well as working to negotiate the best plea agreement possible.  Georgia accident litigation has become more stringent with regard to drunk driving accidents.  There is a zero tolerance policy in effect with even first offenders forced to attend counseling and face fines, probation and community service. 

For that reason you need drunk driving lawyers completely familiar with drunk driving defenses in Georgia.   If you have been charged with vehicular homicide with DUI, the defense will be more complex and expensive than most DUI related offenses.  Should your charges in a fatal collision involve drugs or alcohol, you must understand the complexities, types of defense and what you can expect from the prosecution in trying your DUI fatality case. 

You will be better able to make decisions in choosing a lawyer and planning your defense.  Georgia DWI litigation is not an area of criminal defense law that lends itself to self-representation.  You should obtain litigation help immediately from DUI defense attorneys like those at Miller & Brown.

If you wish to talk to one of our criminal defense attorneys about DUI or about any criminal matter, call to schedule a free consultation with us at 866-416-2403, or email us anytime.