If you're facing a Los Angeles DUI charge, you may be offered a chance to plead guilty in exchange for reduced charges or penalties in a plea bargain. Sometimes taking your case to trial is your best option in a Los Angeles DUI case, but in other cases pleading guilty to a reduced charge offers you the best outcome to your drunk driving charge. A skilled Los Angeles DUI attorney will help you decide whether a plea bargain is your best option in your drunk driving case.
One option that may be presented to you by the prosecutor in your Los Angeles DUI case is to plead guilty to reckless driving unrelated to alcohol, also called dry-reckless. Pleading guilty to the reduced charge of dry-reckless has vast advantages over a drunk driving conviction, and, if it is offered, it should almost always be accepted.
In order for a plea bargain to be beneficial to you in your Los Angeles DUI case, it must be a bargain for both sides. You receive consideration for admitting guilt early in the court proceeding, typically in the form of reduced charges or repercussions. In exchange, the prosecutor saves the taxpayers the cost of a trial.
Pleading guilty to a dry-reckless charge offers many advantages in a Los Angeles DUI case. Unlike a drunk driving or wet-reckless conviction, a dry-reckless plea is usually punishable by only probation and a much smaller fine than in a DUI conviction. Your driver's license won't be suspended and you won't be required to file a formal proof of insurance, or SR-22 if you win your DMV hearing. However, you may be required to attend alcohol education classes.
Another substantial advantage to a dry-reckless plea in a Los Angeles DUI case is that unlike a drunk driving or wet-reckless conviction, it cannot be counted as a prior DUI if you are again arrested for drunk driving within the next 10 years.
The prosecutor in your Los Angeles DUI case is most likely to allow you to plead guilty to a dry-reckless charge if your blood alcohol content was recorded as being very close to the legal limit of.08 percent. Dry-reckless is a misdemeanor charge that carries far fewer penalties than the more serious charge of DUI.
A dry-reckless plea bargain in your Los Angeles DUI case may offer your best opportunity to put your drunk driving charge behind you with the smallest disruption to your life. A qualified Los Angeles DUI attorney will fight to negotiate the most favorable plea bargain available in your drunk driving case and work to minimize or eliminate the consequences of your driving under the influence charge.
