PA First Offense Penalties and Effects on Personal Finance

First time offenders are looking at substantial monetary fines and probation, and this can be much, much worse if you have a high BAC (blood alcohol content) or if someone is injured or killed. For a first time offence though you can expect to get slapped with around $5,000 in fines and fees. Add on top of this your expenses for attorney fees and higher insurance rates. Drunk drivers insurance rates can triple or offenders can be dropped from their insurance. It would be very interesting here what other long term economic affects a DUI conviction causes. I'm sure that most people’s credit scores suffer due to missed/late payments caused by the economic strain of a conviction. It would be very interest if someone signed up for a credit reporting service and monitored the effects during this process, or at least posted a before and after credit score.  Regardless, the effects of a DUI on peoples personal finances are severe and additional offenses have a multiplying effect on this economic pain. Just be thankful you don't live in Germany if you get a conviction, they take a percent of your income!

Law School Paid Off!

Hey everyone, I have finally got law school paid off! A 65k debt that has been on my books since the mid 90's. I'll tell you what, it has paid off to have that degree too. I truly enjoy being a DUI attorney in the great state of Pennsylvania.

Sorry I haven't posted any great news in a while, but to tell you the truth this is such a busy time of year for DUI's. So be careful out there, the police are out in force and balancing their budgets.

Pennsylvania ARD Program

The Pennsylvania ARD program is a driver rehabilitation program for first time DUI offenders that allows the DUI or DWI charges to be dropped upon completion of the program. To be eligible it has to have been your first offense in the last 10 years, you cannot have had a minor of the age 14 or under in the car and no injuries could have occurred during the infraction. This is usually the best case scenario if you have been busted driving under the influence of alcohol. The DUI will not go on your record and won't endanger future employment. Furthermore it is less expensive and offenders won't have to serve time in jail.

The ARD program is administered at the county level, and they don't make it easy for you. They are not your friends; an attorney should be hired to help you navigate the PA ARD Program. However, the best solution is to use the Pennsylvania ARD Program service provided by ARDprogram.com. For a small (comparatively) fee they assist offenders through the maze of forms and red tape needed to complete an ARD Program. They are highly recommended and provide an experienced DUI attorney to guide you through the program.