DUI-california-arrest.com

4 Essential steps after Drunk Driving / DUI arrest in California:

1. Contact the DMV within 10 days of your DUI arrest
2. Obtain and review a copy of your Police Report
3. Educate yourself - learn about DUI Defense / Legal Representation
4. Know your options in Court - Plea Bargain or Trial

Step 1: Call the DMV immediately!

When you get arrested for a DUI (Driving Under the Influence / Drunk Driving) in California, the officer will almost always take your drivers' license away and give you a pink piece of paper which is your 30 day temporary license. This document is very confusing and difficult to understand. The bottom line is :-

You only have 10 days to call the DMV after your arrest - otherwise your license is subject to automatic license suspension 30 days after your DUI arrest date. You must call specific DMV offices and not your local DMV office where you are likely to be misinformed.

Call the DMV for a Hearing within 10 days of your DUI arrest

How the 10-day count-down works

You have only 10 days to call the DMV after your DUI arrest date to obtain a STAY and a HEARING. These 10 days include weekends. For example if you were arrested on January 5 you only have until January 15 to make a DMV hearing request.

Benefits of a Stay and DMV Hearing

A STAY and a HEARING buy you more time to drive and a chance at avoiding a license suspension.

Note: get a STAY and a DMV HEARING even if your license is suspended, so make this phone call !

If you like you can contact our office (310) 285-1516 and we will obtain a stay and a DMV hearing for you.

Which DMV Office to call for a Hearing

DMV Driver Safety Offices

You must call specific DMV offices and not your local DMV office where you are likely to be misinformed.

You must contact a specific DMV office called a Driver Safety Office to request a stay and a DMV hearing. Your local neighborhood DMV office cannot help you!

There are 3 Driver Safety offices in Los Angeles County and you must contact the office closest to where you were arrested by the police.

DMV Phone numbers & Fax's

What to ask the DMV

1. When you call the DMV, ask them to grant you a STAY and a HEARING :-
   • A Stay allows you to keep driving even after your 30 day temporary pink license has expired; so this means you can keep driving at least until the date of your DMV Hearing. Your DMV Hearing is usually 1-3 months after your arrest so a Stay can possibly buy you at least 2 more months of driving.
   • A DMV Hearing gives you an opportunity to try to prevent the DMV from suspending your license.
2. If you request a DMV Hearing, you can request the DMV to send your Police Report to you approximately 10 days before the DMV Hearing. (See obtain and review a copy of your DUI Police Report).
3. When you speak to a DMV employee, write down his or her name and the date & time you called to record and verify you called the DMV within 10 days of your arrest. The DMV is very strict about this 10-day rule.

Have your ticket ready when you call

The DMV employee will ask you for :-

• Your Drivers Licence Number
• Date of arrest
• Where you got arrested
• The name & ID number of the officer who arrested you
• What type of test you took, blood, breath or if you refused to take a test.

Your ticket contains this information so have it ready.

DUI Attorney

The DMV employee will then probably ask you if you are going to hire a lawyer; if you are, the DMV will give you five days to have your DUI attorney contact them to schedule your DMV Hearing.

Fax your request

Sometimes when you call the DMV you are put on hold for a long time, so instead you might want to fax in your request for a stay and a hearing. Using the fax numbers above, you can fax in a letter with :-

• Your Driver’s license number
• Date of arrest
• Location of arrest
• Officer’s name and serial number
• What type of test you took
• Include your name, address, and phone number on the fax.

Make sure you keep confirmation of your fax to prove you contacted the DMV within 10 days of your arrest.

We can obtain a Stay and DMV Hearing for you

We can do this for you - contact our office (310) 285-1516 and we will obtain a Stay and a DMV Hearing for you.  We will fax a request to the DMV Office and keep confirmation or proof of the request.

See also:-

• How to win your DMV Hearing for DUI

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