How To Deal With A DUI In Canada

How To Deal With A DUI In Canada

By TLB Contributing Financial Writer: Martin

While drinking under the influence can lead to dangerous situations, an actual DUI is not the most serious offense. If you live in Canada, you should know that it is not impossible to get this criminal conviction pardoned.

You can get a DUI if you are caught using a motor vehicle while being intoxicated. This includes alcohol and drug use, but it can also apply for something less serious like cough medicine. In Canada, DUI arrests are no joke and people have been arrested for drinking under the influence for many years.

When will you get a DUI charge?

A DUI arrest will be made if you have a blood alcohol limit over .08. You should also know that if you are close to that limit, but your alcohol level is not bigger than that, you might not be arrested. In such situations, the police will have to choose what to do for you.

Sentences

If you have been charged for a DUI in Canada, here are the sentences you could get if you are found guilty, If this is your first offence, you will receive a 12 month driving prohibition, as well as a $1000 fine. If this is the second time it happens, you will get 30 days of jail, as well as a 24 month driving prohibition.

Finally, if it is the first time you get a drunk driving charge, you will get 120 days of jail and a 36 month driving prohibition. These sentences might vary slightly, but don’t expect some big changes.

Get your DUI pardoned

If you are charged for a DUI, this thing will show up during any background check, even if you were not found guilty. However, if you were not convicted you can apply for a purge and file destruction. If you were convicted, the only thing you can do is to apply for a pardon.

If you are thinking about getting a pardon, you should do some research first. There are sites like nationalpardon.org, that will help you with all the information you need. Before you try to obtain a pardon, you should pay your fine first.

That is because the fine is considered the only part of the sentence (unless you also have some jail time to serve). The license suspension is not considered part of the sentence when it comes to the pardon application.

Eligibility requirements

There are some eligibility requirements such as a waiting period, and you have to make sure that you won’t have any traffic violations in that period, so you will satisfy the good conduct clause. You don’t want to have anything that can be held against you at the process so that your criminal record can be sealed as fast as possible.

DUI’s are more complicated since they can lead to a criminal conviction, which is something that does not happen with other driving offenses like speeding. Things can be even worse if your blood alcohol level is very high, over the 0.08 limit.

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