How to Get to Work After I Lost My Driver's License From a DUI Charge 27.10.2022: The DUI penalties in Washington State are among the harshest in the nation. After a DUI arrest, you should speak with a knowledgeable DUI lawyer right away to protect your rights and ensure you don't miss any essential deadlines. You can learn more about

The DUI penalties in Washington State are among the harshest in the nation. After a DUI arrest, you should speak with a knowledgeable DUI lawyer right away to protect your rights and ensure you don't miss any essential deadlines. You can learn more about DUI laws here. What happens if you lose your driver’s license to a DUI charge, though? Let’s find out!






What Happens After The BAC Test?



Washington is one of the 42 states to adopt ALR. Suppose your blood alcohol content (BAC) exceeds .08, or you refuse a BAC test. In that case, your driving license will be taken away immediately. Even though you haven't been formally found guilty in a criminal trial, your driver's license will either be annulled or suspended at that moment.



Even if you are not later charged with a DUI offense, you may still face an administrative license suspension charge. This course of action was intended to be distinct from the standard DUI judicial conviction and includes penalties like license suspension, jail time, community service hours, ignition interlock device (IID), and alcohol and drug rehabilitation.



The DOL will immediately suspend your license if you are arrested for anything between 90 days and two years. Unless you ask for a hearing, this will take place 60 days after the day you were arrested. That hearing must be requested within seven days of your arrest. While you wait for your hearing, your license will still be in effect. This is when you need a skilled lawyer to help you.


Ignition Interlock Device



The Washington State ignition interlock license law enables you to keep driving for any reason, anywhere, whenever you get an ignition interlock license from the Department of Licensing.


If it's a first offense, courts must order the installation and supervision of an interlock device for any driver whose  BAC  level is.08% or higher. An interlock device may also be ordered if a person is charged with DUI but has a lower blood alcohol content.


Any driver found guilty of a DUI or physical control offense or who has had or will have their license revoked due to a DOL administrative hearing after the DUI detainment is qualified for an IIL.



The new ignition interlock laws will most likely be viewed favorably by those who make their living by driving or who would suffer irreparable harm from a license suspension. They enable someone to keep driving through almost any period of a suspended Washington license. According to the Washington DOL, a driver must provide documentation for an ignition interlock device and SR-22 insurance. A person can drive anywhere at any time as long as the vehicle they are operating is fitted with an interlock device once completed. Once DOL has approved the ignition interlock license (IIL) application, you'll be able to drive to work every day.



Installing the IID is now mandatory for those in Washington who are found guilty of DUI. Previous DUI laws in Washington were permissive, which meant that a person could get an IID to keep driving, but they could also decide not to. Installing an IID is now compulsory, even if a person doesn't want to drive or doesn't even own a car. To make things even worse, if a person doesn't have a car, they might need to have a SCRAM bracelet installed to monitor alcohol consumption.




photo copyright Guilherme Rossi, Pexels