Drive Sober Or Take An Online DUI Class!

Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over is the latest in drinking and driving campaigns from traffic safety marketing, and it’s out just in time to remind us all not to drink and drive on St. Patrick’s Day this coming Sunday! St. Patrick’s Day is a festive holiday filled with the fun rituals of wearing green, eating corned beef and cabbage and for many drinking Irish whiskey and Guinness Stout. Suddenly, everyone is Irish and it can be fun to indulge if you are staying at home or walking to a local pub, but remember not to under any condition drink alcohol and drive!

Authorities will be out in force across the nation to help protect our roads on this day notorious for overindulging. There will be a number of DUI checkpoints in many cities across the nation. And, aside from the dangers of drinking and driving, drivers should be aware that a DUI arrest can cost as much as $5,000 to deal with.

Just a quick snapshot of what you could be in for if you are caught for a DUI offense include:

· Court costs

· Criminal fines

· Bail

· Attorneys fees

· Car impoundment

· Loss of drivers license

· Loss of job/loss of income

· According to MADD, auto insurance hikes of up to $6,000 per year

· DUI classes

So, plan ahead and avoid being a statistic. Designate a driver, call a taxi, stay overnight, walk home or abstain from alcohol!

However, if you do get pulled over and need to fulfill court requirements for a DUI education class; take the lead to look into online options. Most court systems will simply tell you to take an alcohol and drug awareness class. Do the research to find out if you can take this course online instead of trying to get to a weekly classroom meeting, especially if your license has been suspended!

Online DUI classes are becoming more and more popular as most individuals now have Internet access via a Smartphone, Ipad, laptop or PC. You will find many benefits in taking an alcohol and drug awareness class from your own home verses going to an in-person classroom. First of all, online classes can be accessed at any time of the day or night. This enables the client to take the course on their own schedule rather than that of an instructor. Furthermore, they are completely self-paced. If the participant is under a strict deadline to get the educational portion of their offense completed, he or she can sit all weekend if necessary to accomplish the task. This is in contrast to a traditional classroom course that meets once a week over a period of months. Online classes also give clients freedom. They can be taken from anywhere in the U.S. that has an Internet connection. This is especially helpful for people who travel for business like truck drivers, sales people or executives.

A final consideration is that online DUI classes give the client complete privacy. This might be a situation that you don’t want others to know about, or would like to keep under the radar. The only people who are aware you are taking an online DUI class are you, your attorney and judge. This aspect takes away any embarrassment or uncomfortable feelings about being in a classroom full of strangers.

DUI Classes For Court Mandates

It is a well-known fact that everybody comes to the point in their life in which they make a mistake. One mistake that too many people make is driving when under the influence of alcohol. It’s a normal occurrence to attend parties, weddings or other social events and drink alcohol because it is a time of celebration. Unfortunately, some people don’t plan ahead and make sure they have a designated driver, or opt for a cab ride home. Instead, they foolishly make the mistake of getting behind the wheel and risking their own life and all of the people around them.

Now you may not feel drunk, but remember that drinking impairs your judgment and your reaction time, so there’s a good chance that your driving abilities will be affected. If you are displaying signs of driving under the influence as swerving, speeding, or reckless driving, chances are you are going to be pulled over by the police. Once pulled over by the police officer, he is going to test your sobriety and if you fail those tests, you will be put in the back of that cop car and on your way to jail.

The first step that you are going to have to take after you have received your DUI is to get an attorney. An attorney is going to make sure that you know your rights and try to get you off with the least possible punishment. Hiring an attorney will cost plenty of money as most attorneys charge anywhere between $150 and $450 per hour of service. A period of time is going to go by and then you will be ordered to have your court date. During your court appearance you will stand in front of a judge and give your plea. After you plea the judge is going to explain to you what your punishment consists of. Common punishments for driving under the influence in jurisdictions across the U.S. include community service, DUI classes, and depending on the level of your blood alcohol level - jail time.

Regardless of what your punishment is, you must follow-through on every aspect of the judge’s order or further mandates will come your way. Typically a DUI class will have to be completed. Ask your judge for approval to take an online course so you don’t have to go all the way to a reserved venue to take your DUI class. Meeting a predetermined class time generally adds more stress and hassle to this whole situation because you may have to miss more work or school to attend the specified time. A solution to this is to take a DUI class online. Online DUI classes are going to give you all the same information that an in-person class is going to teach you but from the convenience of your own computer. During the online DUI class you are going to learn the consequences of driving under the influence, the laws involving drunk driving, how to prevent driving under the influence, and reasons to control the alcohol that you consume. Online classes are divided into chapters by topic. There are quizzes to take along the way and at the end you must pass a multiple choice final exam. With a 70% score or better, you will receive a Certificate of Completion in the mail to present to the court to prove you took the course.

All in all, receiving a DUI is going to be a big eye-opener for you. With the punishments that you receive and the classes that you are going to take, the goal is that you will be equipped with the knowledge that is going to keep you from making the mistake of driving under the influence again.

DUI Laws In Florida

Each state in the U.S. has its own DUI laws. While some states may be stricter about their drivers being pulled over and charged with driving under the influence, others states will still have similar laws. Although the consequences will vary, every state takes driving under the influence charges very seriously. For instance, some of the DUI laws and other related information for the state of Florida are as follows:

A BAC or blood alcohol content of .08 or greater has been set as the threshold for drunk driving. DUI convictions remain on a driver's record for 75 years. Underage drivers can lose their driving privileges for up to 6 months if their blood alcohol content is .02 or greater. However, if the blood alcohol content is equal to or greater than .08, the underage driver will face other penalties including the standard penalties that graduate according to the type of offense.

If the driver is convicted and it is their first DUI, the judge can impose a fine of up to one thousand dollars. The fine can also increase if there is a minor in the car. Some of the other penalties include revoking the driver's license for a minimum of 180 days or up to 1 year. Community service can be also ordered by the judge along with court mandated DUI courses. If classes are ordered by the court, the driver must enroll in DUI School before they can get their license back and they must complete the class successfully within 90 days of restatement.

In the past, the only way a driver could complete the court-mandated classes was to attend classes in a formal classroom setting. This meant the convicted driver would have to fit these classes into their work schedules if they had a job. For some, taking time off of the job was often difficult, especially for a DUI offense. In fact, most people would not disclose this information to their boss or anyone else on the jobsite to avoid workplace embarrassment and possible corporate penalties.

Due to advances in technology, online DUI courses are now available. Specifically, this means that if the online courses will meet the court's mandated requirements, the driver can take the courses in the privacy of his/her own home and at a time that is more convenient for them. Therefore, the driver will not have to miss any days off of the job. It is important to note that not all states and counties will accept online classes, so be sure to check first with your court system to get approval.

Upon approval, courses are easy to take.  Just go online and purchase the class length that has been mandated.  The program will appear on your screen immediately and you are ready to go.  You can log-in and out of the class as many times as you wish.  The computer program holds your last spot.  The information is divided into sections with a quiz at the end of each chapter.  A final exam is issued at the end of the course.  After you have successfully passed the exam, a Certificate of Completion is sent to the client.  This is the proof you present to the judge that you have taken the course.