It has been reported that an estimated 1.5 million individuals have been arrested annually for driving while impaired in the United States. If you have been arrested for driving while impaired in North Carolina, the legal and personal consequences you may be facing can have extensive impacts on your life. Aside from facing harsh legal penalties, your reputation with friends and family and your ability to get or retain a job may be negatively impacted. While you may be feeling like the entire legal system is against you, that is not the case. To get help with your defense, contact a North Carolina DWI lawyer.
King Law is a North Carolina DWI criminal defense firm with experienced DWI lawyers to represent you. Being arrested for a DWI can feel overwhelming and like there are no options left. However, we work hard to help our clients by educating them on their legal rights in North Carolina. We build trusting relationships with our clients so that we may provide them with the personalized legal services they deserve. By building you a strong defense, our legal team may be able to help get the charges against you reduced or dropped.
What Are North Carolina’s Laws for Driving While Impaired?
North Carolina General Statute (NCGS) 20-138.1 states that the crime of driving while impaired, or DWI, occurs when an individual operates any motor vehicle on a street, highway, or public vehicular area:
- While under the influence of an impairing substance
- After consuming more than the legal limit of alcohol
- With any amount of Schedule 1 controlled substances in their urine or blood
In most cases, your BAC at the time of your arrest will be used to determine if you are breaking the law by operating a vehicle while impaired.
North Carolina BAC Limit
In order to legally consume alcohol, regardless of the circumstances, you must be at least 21 years of age or older. In addition to this rule, North Carolina’s legal blood alcohol content, BAC, limit to be able to safely operate a vehicle is 0.08 percent. However, if you are caught driving while impaired with any amount of alcohol in your blood and you are under the legal drinking age of 21, you will be charged with an underage DWI even if your BAC is at or below 0.08 percent. If you have a commercial driver’s license, the legal BAC for you would be 0.04 percent.
In North Carolina, you can still be charged with a DWI if your BAC is below 0.08 percent or at zero but you are found to have controlled substances in your system like illegal drugs, prescription drugs, or over-the-counter medications. Additionally, police officers will use other indicators of impairment aside from just BAC levels such as noticeable impairment of a person’s normal function of mental or physical faculties. This may include a person swerving in and out of lanes, slurring their words, or their inability to walk in a straight line.
What Are the Types of North Carolina DWI Charges?
After being arrested for a DWI in North Carolina, it may feel like you have no options. However, regardless of the evidence against you, when you work with an experienced team of North Carolina DWI lawyers, you may be able to get the charges against you reduced or dropped. The types of charges you may be facing for a DWI arrest in North Carolina include:
- First DWI offense
- Second or third DWI offense
- Felony DWI offense
- Boating under the influence
- Underage DWI and DUI
- Drugged driving
- DWI with a CDL
- DWI on probation
- DWI on a scooter
If you have been charged with a DWI you may be feeling discouraged. However, with the help of the DWI lawyers at King Law, we can help you build a strong defense.
Common Penalties for a DWI in North Carolina
If you have been caught driving while impaired, you may be facing serious penalties. Some common penalties for a DWI in North Carolina include:
- Costly fines
- Jail time
- License suspension
- License revocation
- Restricted license
Depending on the details of your case and whether anyone else was hurt as a result of your DWI, you may face harsher penalties like prison time. To get help with your defense, challenge DWI license revocation, or even if you can get your charges expunged contact our North Carolina DWI law firm.
Contact a North Carolina DWI Lawyer
Being arrested for a DWI can have a person fearing the worst. While it may feel like you have no options, when you work with a North Carolina DWI lawyer you will get help building a strong defense to pursue the second chance you deserve.
King Law is a team of experienced lawyers in North Carolina helping clients who have been arrested for a DWI. We understand that handling a DWI charge on your own can be overwhelming. That is why we are dedicated to providing the award-winning representation that you deserve. To schedule a consultation, contact us here or call (888) 748-5464.