Hanging out with your co-workers during happy hour at your favorite bar or brewery lets you socialize and blow off a little steam after a long day. But, if on your way home from the bar, you are pulled over and arrested for drunk driving you can face some immediate consequences, including the loss of your driver’s license.
License revocation at the time of your arrest
If you refused to take a breath test at the time of your DWI arrest in North Carolina or if you did take a breath test and your blood alcohol content (BAC) measured 0.08% or above, you will face the immediate revocation of your driver’s license for 30 days. After 10 days you can seek a limited driving privilege that will allow you to go to essential places like work and school.
License revocation upon your conviction
If you are convicted of DWI, and it is your first offense, you will face the revocation of your driver’s license for 12 months. If it is your second DWI offense, your driver’s license will be revoked for four years.
You can seek a limited driving privilege but only if you did not hurt anyone in the commission of your DWI offense, there was not a child in your vehicle at the time of your DWI offense and you obtain a substance abuse assessment.
After the 12-month revocation period is complete, you must go to treatment or attend an alcohol education program to get your license back.
Losing your driver’s license, even for a short time period, can throw your whole life into disarray. Even if you are granted a limited driving privilege you can still find that your day-to-day activities have become difficult to complete. Oftentimes an attorney can help explain the consequences of a DWI and can help mitigate the effects an arrest or conviction will have on you.