Adults tend to celebrate Halloween by attending parties, where drinking may be involved. With this, it is important that you make a plan for how to get home safely. Not only do you want to protect yourself and others on the New York roads, but you want to protect yourself from a possible DWI charge. Read on to discover what penalties you may be facing for a DWI this Halloween and how a seasoned Spring Valley DWI defense attorney at The Law Office of Kevin T. Conway can come to your defense.
What penalties will I face for a first-offense DWI on Halloween?
New York State takes DWI offenses quite seriously. Even with just a first-offense DWI, you will receive a permanent criminal record. The other penalties you may be up against are as follows:
- Jail for one year, at most.
- Fines anywhere between $500 to $1,000.
- A license suspension for six months, at least.
- Mandatory attendance of the New York Drinking Driver Program (DDP), and its associated costs.
If you are under the age of 21 and accused of a DWI, this will have a serious effect on your future. While the penalties may be lessened, they are nonetheless harsh. They are as follows:
- A $125 civil penalty fine and a $100 fee for suspension termination.
- A license suspension for six months, at least.
- Mandatory attendance of the DDP, and its associated costs.
- Installation of an ignition interlock device (IID) in your vehicle, and its associated costs.
What penalties will I face for a second-offense DWI?
It should come as no surprise that second-offense DWI penalties are harsher than first-offense DWI penalties. They read as follows:
- Jail for four years, at most.
- Fines anywhere between $1,000 to $5,000.
- A license suspension for one year, at most.
- Mandatory attendance of the DDP, and its associated costs.
And the penalties for a second-offense DWI, if you are under the age of 21, are as follows:
- A $125 civil penalty fine and a $100 fee for suspension termination.
- A license suspension for at least one year or until you turn the age of 21.
- Mandatory attendance of the DDP, and its associated costs.
- Installation of an IID in your vehicle, and its associated costs.
What penalties will I face for a third-offense DWI?
You should note that the penalties for a third-offense DWI will likely be the same regardless of your age. They are as follows:
- Jail for seven years, at most.
- Fines anywhere between $2,000 to $10,000, and state surcharges.
- A license suspension anywhere between one year and permanent.
Evidently, these penalties can quickly become life-altering. This is why it is important to have a strong legal defense. For this, you must retain the services of a competent Rockland County criminal defense attorney who will work to reduce or eliminate the penalties against you. Call us today.
