Westchester County, New York DWI / DWAI / OUI / DUI Defense Lawyer

Have you been arrested for with drunk driving in Westchester, Duthcess, Orange, Rockland, Bronx or Putnam County, New York? If you have been charged with DWI/DUI or DWAI, you may be facing serious penalties that can impact your life for years.

If you are arrested or charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI - commonly referred to as DUI or OUI in other states) or driving while ability impaired (DWAI), our DWI defense attorneys at the law offices of Riebling, Proto & Sachs, LLP in White Plains, Bronx and New Windsor, NY can provide you with a personalized legal defense and vigorously defend and protect your rights. We can also help you understand the drunk driving license implications a DWI conviction may have, such as driver's license revocation or license suspension.

New York State DWI | DWAI Laws and Charges

Driving While Intoxicated - DWI Charges. By the New York State DWI Law, a person who is operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or above can be arrested and charged with the misdemeanor crime of driving while intoxicated, which is commonly known as "DWI". If you were already convicted of a DWI in the last ten years prior to your new DWI charge, you may even be charged with a felony.

Misdemeanor and Felony DWI Charges. Any DWI charge, whether it’s a misdemeanor or felony carries severe consequences, including license suspensions and/or revocation. If you are charged with a DWI misdemeanor you may be facing up to one year in the county jail or three years probation and hefty fines. If you are charged with a felony you may be facing state prison time or five years probation and a hefty fine.

Driving While Ability Impaired by Alcohol -DWAI Charges. In some instances, drivers are charged with driving while ability impaired by alcohol which is commonly referred to as "DWAI". This drunk driving charge is not a criminal charge and applies to individuals who are operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration that is between .05 and .07. Although the charge is not criminal, DWAI penalties can include a $300 - $500 fine, up to 15 days in jail, or both.

Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs A DWAI charge can also apply to a person who is operating a motor vehicle whose ability to operate the motor vehicle is impaired by drugs. Depending on the circumstances this charge can be either a misdemeanor or felony.

More recently, in November, 2006, the New York State legislature enacted two new alcohol related misdemeanor offenses:

• Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated, which prohibits a person from driving a motor vehicle with a BAC of .18 or more. The main difference between the DWI under .18 and this new charge is that a person faces much longer license revocation and even higher hefty fines.
• Driving While Ability Impaired by the Combined Influence of Drugs and Alcohol, which prohibits operating a motor vehicle while impaired by the combined influence of drugs or of alcohol and any drug or drugs.

Skilled DWI Lawyers in White Plains, Westchester County, NY

An experienced DWI defense attorney may dramatically reduce the probability that you will face such serious consequences. Our highly skilled drunk driving defense attorneys are dedicated to thoroughly investigating your DWI/DUI or DWAI case to ensure that your Constitutional rights were not abused.

Our DWI lawyers also work to provide you with the strongest defense possible—in a manner which may save you valuable time and money. In addition, we may be able to negotiate a temporary license or enable you to retain your license while your DWI or DWAI case is pending.

For more information about how a DWI charge affects your license, please visit the Driver's License Implication section of this website for information about driver's license suspension and revocation.

If this is your first DWI offense, read about your defense options and alternatives at First Time DWI Offenses.

Contact  at our law firm today for more information about how our DWI / DUI attorney can help you. For your convenience, your initial consultation is free and evening appointments are available upon request.

With law offices in White Plains, Bronx, New Windsor and New York our DWI/DWAI defense lawyers provide individually tailored legal defense in Westchester, Dutchess, Orange, Rockland, Bronx and Putnam County.