Manassas Out of State DUI Charges

DUI charges can affect a person’s life in many ways, no matter if they were a resident of the state where they received the charges or not. In Virginia, DUI charges are taken very seriously and can include a number of different penalties including fines, jail time, and a recovaction of driving privliges in the state of Virginia. Additionally, in some cases an offense in Virginia can even have an impact on the individual’s license in their home state. For this reason, it is important to consult with a local Manassas DUI attorney who is familiar with the local courts and prosecutors so that they can prepare you for what to expect and build you a strong defense.

Impact of an Out of State DUI

A person from out-of-state is affected by a DUI charge in most of the same ways that an in-state defendant would be. The penalties for the DUI are all the same. The primary difference is that a Virginia driver can have their license suspended in Virginia, but an out-of-state driver can only have their privilege to drive in Virginia suspended.

For example, if a person from Maryland is charged with DUI in Virginia, the worst that could happen is that they would lose their ability to drive here, whereas only Maryland can suspend a Maryland driver’s license generally.

Differences in the Rules

There are no real differences between in-state drivers and out-of-state drivers in terms of the rules as they apply to DUI charges. The Virginia code sets forth what has to be proven by the government, as well as what the penalties are for the various kinds of DUI, and these are going to be the same whether a person is from in state or out-of-state.

The lone exception to this is that a Virginia driver can have their license suspended, but an out-of-state driver can only have their privilege to drive in Virginia suspended.

How a Local Attorney Can Help

A local attorney can help an out-of-state driver facing a DUI charge in Manassas by navigating them through the process, which is likely to be very foreign to them. Virginia courts and the Virginia system are, if not unique in the United States, certainly very different than most other jurisdictions.

It is going to be crucial for an out-of-state driver to work with a local attorney who is familiar not just with the law and the procedure and practice in the state of Virginia, but particularly what they will mean to an out-of-state driver in Manassas. Each jurisdiction is somewhat different, too, and those differences can make a big difference one way or another in an individual case and this is particularly true for someone who is out of state.