How Many Days Before Driver’s License Hearing?
You Have 10 Days To Keep Your Utah Driver’s License.
If you have been arrested for DUI in Salt Lake City or in the state of Utah, you need to take immediate action to protect your drivers license. Utah’s DUI laws give you just 10 days to request a drivers license hearing. If you fail to request this hearing within 10 days of your arrest, your license will automatically be suspended.
At the office of Greg S. Law, we have helped hundreds of clients fight Salt Lake City DUI charges and protect their rights at drivers license hearings. We are confident in our ability to help you. Keep in mind that you no time to waste.
Learn more about how our experience can benefit you. Call or contact us online for a free initial consultation with an experienced Salt Lake City driver’s license hearing attorney.
Utah drunk driving charges present two separate problems for the defendant that need to be dealt with at the same time. First, you need to avoid conviction in the criminal DUI case. While your defense on the criminal charge is under preparation, you will also need to deal with the driver’s license suspension issues automatically triggered by the drunk driving arrest.
You have only 10 days in which to request a hearing before the Driver License Division of the Utah Department of Public Safety on the license suspension issues connected to the DUI case. Though often referred to as a DMV hearing, the administrative proceedings related to your license actually take place in a different state agency, the Department of Public Safety.
If you do not request a hearing within this period, you lose your right to drive while your criminal case is pending. Contact the law firm of Greg S. Law in Salt Lake to learn how an experienced criminal defense lawyer can protect your interests on both sides of your legal problem.
DMV Hearing As Preliminary Trial
A former police officer with an advanced understanding of approved law enforcement techniques in drunk driving arrest procedures, Greg Law will use the DMV hearing not only to protect your right to drive, but also to attack the evidence against you in the criminal case. He can use the hearing as an opportunity to test much or all of the evidence supporting the DUI charges:
- Police reports
- Field sobriety test results
- Reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing necessary to support the traffic stop
- Probable cause to suspect drunk driving necessary to support the arrest
- Timing and substance of Miranda warnings
- Procedures used to administer breath or blood tests
We can develop detailed testimony on any of these points. We can also often obtain evidence from the arresting officer that contradicts statements in the police reports, or that will otherwise make it difficult to obtain a conviction on the drunk driving charges at trial.
While the immediate goal of the hearing is to keep your driver’s license intact, our ability to cross-examine the arresting officer on key issues in the criminal case can strengthen your defense and often open the door toward a favorable resolution.
The Civil Trial Prepares Us For The Criminal Trial
A Utah DUI arrest actually sets two separate cases in motion, one civil and one criminal. The driver’s license hearing is a civil hearing that typically lasts 30 minutes or less, and is often conducted by phone. This hearing is important to your defense because it gives you the first opportunity to question the arresting officer under oath. This will help us prepare more effectively for the criminal case. It will also “lock” the officer into those prior statements given under oath.
Can you win at the driver’s license hearing? Yes, but remember that winning your civil hearing only means you get to keep driving while the criminal case is still pending. If you are later convicted on DUI charges, you can still lose your license. If you are convicted of a first-time DUI, your driver’s license will be suspended for 120 days. A second or subsequent conviction will result in a two-year suspension.
At Greg S. Law, our first goal is always to see our clients walk away free with no criminal record or penalties. Even when the prosecution has a strong case and we are not able to make any headway toward this goal, we use our experience to negotiate a plea to the lesser offense of impaired driving, which carries no mandatory jail sentence, a reduced fine, and no drivers license suspension.
Contact A Utah Drivers License Hearing Lawyer Today
Call Greg S. Law, at 801-261-6228.
Learn what a difference an aggressive Utah DUI Lawyer can make in your case. Make certain that your rights and interests will be fully protected throughout the legal process.
To schedule a free consultation with an experienced Utah DUI Lawyer, call either of the two numbers listed above or contact us with a brief e-mail message. We offer a free initial consultation. We are available for evening and weekend appointments and also accept major credit cards.