Salt Lake City DUI Lawyer

Many people these days are picking up extra money on the side by driving for ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft.

With that in mind, what happens when a driver gets pulled over for suspected driving under the influence (DUI)? The consequences can be greater than if it is someone only driving on their own and not identifying themselves as a ride-sharing operator.

If you’ve been pulled over while running a ride-sharing operation, reaching out to a Salt Lake City criminal defense attorney is in your best interests.

He or she can work with you to put forth the best defense possible.

So, is it time to make the call for legal help?

Let a Salt Lake City Criminal Defense Attorney Go to Bat for You

When you’ve been stopped and charged with DUI while operating a ride-sharing vehicle, remember to discuss the following involving your case with a criminal defense attorney in Salt Lake City:

• Traffic stop – Given Uber and Lyft drivers are independent contractors and not full-time employees, there can be a gray area as to responsibility, especially if it involves a crash. Is the driver solely held responsible or can an accident victim go after the ride-sharing company itself? Since many ride-sharing operators have signs in the front windows of their vehicles, was yours displayed or turned on at the time you were pulled over? If so, the prosecution could use this as evidence against you in court. The central theme would be you were putting others in your vehicle at risk while drinking alcohol. These and other issues are why it is necessary to have the right legal counsel on your side.
• Testing – Did law enforcement administer a breathalyzer and/or blood work at the time of your stop? There is always the chance that the breathalyzer equipment in use was faulty. There is also the possibility that the blood work was contaminated. Make sure your legal team looks into these areas. When operating a ride-sharing service, note that you are held under even stricter guidelines than the normal driver since you have one or more paying passengers in your vehicle at the time. Recently, Utah was the only one of 50 states to pass a law lowering the standard BAC level of .08 to .05 to be considered drunk. That law is set to be on the books at the end of 2018.

Given the legal stain a DUI can have on your record (fines, potential jail time, suspension of your driver’s license etc.), finding the right criminal defense attorney to represent you is essential.