Atlanta, GA: Uber and Lyft are two of the nation’s premier rideshare services. Passengers simply download an app, enter their information, including name, contact info and credit card number to be ready for pick-up; while drivers must pass a more in-depth background check and vehicle inspection before driving for either company.
An Atlanta DUI lawyer could help reduce or dismiss charges and help mitigate their potential effects.
Improper Lane Change
Unsafe lane changes are one of the leading causes of traffic accidents in the US and must be carefully avoided by drivers. Without signaling first or weaving through traffic while changing lanes too rapidly when making the change can put other drivers at risk and cause an accident.
Laws regarding unsafe lane changes vary by state but generally dictate that when on roadways with multiple clearly marked lanes moving in one direction, drivers should drive as closely to being within one lane as practicable. Any motorist veering out of their lane or crossing protected lane boundaries could face being issued a traffic ticket.
Drivers can defend against unsafe lane changes by providing evidence that conditions were safe at the time of driving and that all other traffic laws were followed. However, depending on which state they reside in, the burden of proof required to convict an unsafe lane change driver varies significantly; typically it can be quite high.
Driving While License Suspended
Lyft and Uber, two of the nation’s premier ridesharing services, are extremely active in Atlanta metro area. Both provide drivers and passengers through mobile phone applications; passengers only need to download an app, enter some basic information and credit card number, then they are ready to be picked up! Drivers on the other hand must undergo more extensive background checks and vehicle inspections before being approved as drivers of these services.
An arrest for DUI almost always leads to an administrative license suspension action that must be litigated in a separate civil case from your criminal DUI conviction. A skilled DUI attorney can fight the suspension action to preserve your driving privileges and preserve their driving privileges.
An experienced DUI attorney can challenge the prosecutor’s probable cause for arrest, such as alleging police officer didn’t follow proper Fourth Amendment protocol. They can also raise a defense related to rising blood alcohol, which holds that alcohol takes time to enter your system and therefore it might raise its hand as an argument in your favor.
Failure to Maintain Lane
Failure to maintain lanes is one of the primary reasons police officers cite for pulling over drivers for DUIs, especially if other indicators point toward impairment, such as alcohol or drug influence. Officers often use failure to maintain lanes as justification to investigate an individual further and may use this alone as justification for doing so.
If a driver is charged with this traffic offense, their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) will increase and they could face penalties such as license suspension or imprisonment. It is therefore crucial that they consult an Atlanta DUI defense attorney immediately following an arrest.
If you are injured in a rideshare collision, recovering compensation can be more complex than when involved with traditional auto accidents. Though standard negligence laws apply, you could also receive payments from the rideshare company itself since both Uber and Lyft carry commercial insurance on drivers during their shift.
Reckless Driving
Reducing impaired driving has long been one of Georgia’s top public safety priorities, with government officials taking measures such as lowering the legal alcohol limit, increasing DUI checkpoints and creating task forces to combat drunk driving incidents. They have also conducted various awareness campaigns in an attempt to combat this trend.
An alcohol related driving offense (DUI) conviction on your record can have lasting repercussions for your career prospects, professional licenses and housing applications – not to mention increased insurance premiums.
Our attorneys can defend reckless driving charges with evidence to show that your actions were justifiable or not the result of being under the influence. Additionally, they use expert testimony to contest roadside field sobriety tests which rely on unscientific readings caused by cough syrup or mints; and can investigate alternative sentencing options that can reduce or mitigate your sentence such as community service and DUI education programs as possible alternatives to jail time – something an experienced DUI attorney can help with as they consider these or any other strategies to safeguard their futures.
