Can Calgary Criminal Lawyers Keep You Off Ignition Interlock After a DUI Arrest?

Calgary criminal lawyers are crucial for those arrested on DUI charges in Calgary. If you’re convicted, your license may be suspended for up to a year, and you may have to pay a $1,500 fine. If you’re a repeat offender, you can go to jail for a year or even longer.

Your insurance premiums go up, crossing the border to the US may become problematic, and you may even lose your job. You might also have to take part in the Ignition Interlock Program.

Here are some facts you need to know about the program:

1. The program requires you to have an ignition interlock device installed in your car after you’ve been convicted for impaired driving.
2. This device is a type of breathalyser, and it makes it much more difficult for you to once again drive while you’re drunk. You have to exhale into this gadget before you can start your vehicle. The vehicle won’t start at all if it detects that your blood alcohol level is over a set amount, which is usually set at 0.05.
3. To make sure that you don’t suddenly drink while you’re behind the wheel, the device will require you to provide your breath samples at random times during your car trip. If it detects a high blood alcohol level, it will record the event. It will then start an alarm until you turn off the ignition or the alcohol level in your breath sample goes down.
4. The duration of the program depends on what’s stated in your Calgary Notice of Suspension. It usually ranges from a year to three Once the term is done, the officials can remove the gadget.
5. This program can be very expensive for you. You have to pay for the installation of the device, and that’s usually $145 unless the cost has gone up. Then there’s a monthly rent for the breathalyser, and that’s about $95 per Then you have to shell out another $50 to have the ignition interlock device removed once the term is done.

So if your Notice of Suspension requires the use of the device for 3 whole years, the total cost for you is $3,615.

6. It is possible for you to avoid the inconvenience and expense of the ignition interlock program. One way is for your lawyer to arrange a plea deal that downgrades the charge from a criminal DUI to a provincial careless driving charge.
7. Your lawyer may also arrange for you to offer an explanation as to why you should be exempted from the ignition interlock program. This may happen if the alleged blood alcohol level wasn’t too high and if it is your very first DUI charge.
8. It’s also possible for you to be exempted if there are any special circumstances that make this program unworkable in your case. Your lawyer can help find any special circumstances that would make the program unfeasible for your situation.

So if you’re ever arrested for DUI, make sure you get an experienced lawyer to help. Calgary criminal lawyers can try to minimize your punishment, and may even let you off the ignition interlock program.