My brother was charged just recently for DUI here in Washington. At this early stage of his DUI, what are the things that he should know about?

Camila

Federal Way, WA

Your brother should know a lot of things about his DUI case in Federal Way, Washington especially now that the DUI laws are getting tougher. First of all, a DUI often results in a suspension or revocation of the driver’s license, even if the DUI results in an acquittal and before conviction. At the end of the suspension period, he would be eligible to reinstate his license and there is a fee involved, but if his license is revoked, he would have to go through the whole process of getting a new license.

He would also have to be prepared for a hefty fine and he can ask the court if he can have time to pay or pay over time. Most courts would actually prefer that he be able to pay his fines and buy shoes for the baby. It would be much preferable to having to throw him in jail at the taxpayers’ expense. He also has to be ready for a substantial increase on his car insurance. So if he’s in search for a cheap but reliable car insurance, he might want to check out the free quotes available from this website.

If in case I get unlucky and be asked to take a blood alcohol test because of DUI here in Washington, do I have a choice as to which kind of test I can take?

Joseph

Federal Way, WA

In Washington State, you have a choice as to how your blood alcohol would be measured. Should you be charged with DUI in Federal Way, Washington, you could be allowed to choose between a blood test and a breath test. You may take the required breath test and ask for additional blood test if you feel that the breath test would not give accurate results. Breath test is normally performed using a “breathalyzer” and in the state of Washington, a “datamaster,” which is a newer machine and much less complicated to use than a breathalyzer. With this machine, there is no interpretation required, unlike the “breathalyzer,” because the “datamaster” would print out a ticket with the mechanically determined breath test results.

Should you wish to verify sobriety, the best form to verify that is a blood test. Urine tests are actually the least accurate in measuring the blood alcohol content (BAC) because the urine often does not reflect your BAC at a particular point in time. But if you believe that your BAC would be over the legal limit of 0.08%, may wish to gamble on urine testing.