To avoid being arrested for DUI, you may think the answer is simple: don’t drink alcohol before operating a vehicle. The reality is that many substances can impair your ability to drive, not just alcohol. Taking any illegal drug that affects your reflexes, coordination, and reaction time can result in a DUI arrest. However, this also applies to prescription drugs. Even if a doctor legally prescribed you a drug and you used it safely, you may still be pulled over for DUI. In this case, your best option is to contact an aggressive Sarasota DUI attorney at Pallegar Law, P.A. so that we can start defending your rights.
What Kinds of Prescription Drugs Impair Your Ability to Drive?There are many different kinds of prescription drugs that may interfere with your ability to drive, which may result in a DUI charge. Painkillers, depressants (like anti-anxiety medications), and sleeping pills are among the most common prescribed drugs that can affect your driving.
These drugs include painkillers like Percocet, Vicodin, or Codeine, anti-anxiety medications like Xanax or Valium, ADHD medications like Ritalin, anti-insomnia medications like Ambien, or even anti-addiction drugs like Methadone. Even though these drugs may have been prescribed to you legally, if they impair your normal driving faculties, you may be arrested and face the same penalties as that of an alcohol DUI charge.
There are a number of medications that may not impair your driving if taken alone, but may affect you if mixed with alcoholic beverages. In this case, the mixture of prescription drugs and alcohol can cause you to be pulled over. When you are pulled over, the police officer can administer a breath test to identify whether or not there is alcohol in your system. Even if you blow below the legal limit, if your driving is significantly impaired or there is reason to believe you have mixed drugs and alcohol, you may still face DUI charges.
A field sobriety test may be administered to test your control and coordination, but it cannot detect the amount or existence of drugs in your system. A blood or urine test is the only way to properly determine the existence of the drug in your system. Despite this, there is no way to determine when you ingested the drug and the quantity ingested. Consulting an experienced Sarasota DUI attorney at Pallegar Law, PA. today.
Penalties for Prescription Drug DUIThe penalties for a prescription drug DUI are the same as for a DUI involving alcohol. A first offense DUI is considered a misdemeanor, resulting in these potential penalties: less than one year of jail time, probation, fines, community service, DUI school, license suspension, and car impoundment. The penalties for DUI are not harsh but are often lengthy and time consuming (community service, DUI school, license suspension). In addition, even a DUI arrest will create a permanent criminal record.
This is why it is important to contact a knowledgeable Sarasota DUI attorney at Pallegar Law, P.A. if you have been charged with DUI. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can get to work on defending your case.
Call Pallegar Law, P.A. TodayIf you or someone you know has been charged with a drug DUI, call an experienced Sarasota DUI lawyer today. Call Pallegar Law, P.A at 941-893-5816 to schedule a no charge consultation.