Did you know that when you’re arrested for a DUI, some MVA penalties might apply immediately? Many people confuse the administrative and the criminal aspects of their case, which can be a big mistake. Your first DUI offense may seem tempting to ignore or to handle on your own because you have recently been accused and don’t have a criminal record. However, there are criminal as well as administrative MVA related penalties when arrested for DUI in the state of Maryland. The Motor Vehicle Administration imposes penalties of its own and these are separately handled from your criminal case. When a person gets a driver’s license in Maryland, they are giving their implied consent to any blood alcohol testing that is legally carried out by authorities and law enforcement.

Refusing to submit to such a testing because you are nervous about the possible outcomes could be a huge mistake as this leads to an automatic 180-day driver’s license suspension. This applies the first time that you refuse a BAC test, however, if you continue with this behavior, additional penalties may apply and involve much higher stakes. The second time that you refuse to submit to chemical testing, the penalty is a mandatory minimum of your driver’s license being suspended for one year.

In addition to the refusal to submit administrative suspensions that may apply, the MVA imposes a 45-day license suspension for your first DUI offense, a 90-day license suspension for a second DUI offense, and complete revocation of your license after you have been convicted of a third DUI. Additionally, the penalties may be raised if you were found to have very high blood alcohol content at the time of the arrest. If you were found to have a BAC at 0.15 or higher in the state of Maryland, the penalties include a 90-day suspension of your license on a first offense, a 180-day suspension for the second offense, and your complete license revocation of a third offense. This is what makes it so important to hire an experienced Maryland DUI lawyer as soon as possible.