A Fierce Advocate For

Clients’ Rights

Frequently Asked Questions About New Jersey DWI/DUI Charges

It can happen to nearly anyone. Drunk driving is one of the most commonly charged crimes in the country, and that includes New Jersey. If you’ve been charged with DWI/DUI or fear that you someday will be, you may have many legal questions. Below are some of the most common DUI questions and their answers. After reading, feel free to contact Michael J. Beatrice, P.C., Attorney at Law, to get your own questions answered in a free, confidential consultation.

Is it worth hiring an attorney? Don’t I just need to plead guilty?

You likely have a number of legal options you haven’t considered because the evidence against you may not be as strong as it seems at first glance. Please visit the firm’s page on common DUI defense strategies to learn more.

As for hiring an attorney, it is absolutely worth the money. And when hiring an attorney, don’t just go for the cheapest option. Instead, pick an attorney with decades of experience and one who will examine your case from top to bottom to give you as many resolution options as possible.

What are field sobriety tests? Do I need to take them?

If an officer suspects you are impaired by alcohol, he will ask you to submit to several tests of physical coordination known as field sobriety tests. The standard tests usually include a walk-and-turn test, a one-leg stand test and a horizontal gaze nystagmus test (where you follow a moving object with your eyes). The purpose of these tests is to give the officer more evidence that you are impaired and ask you to submit to further testing.

Should I take a breathalyzer test?

Unfortunately, this is a decision you must make for yourself. Refusal to take the breathalyzer test will result in a separate criminal charge of refusal to test. If convicted on the refusal charge, you will face additional fines, surcharges, mandatory education courses, installation of an ignition interlock device and a license suspension (for a first offense).

You’ll need to weigh those consequences against the evidence that a breathalyzer test would likely provide. You can still be convicted of DUI even without a breathalyzer test.

I’m from New York, but I got charged with DUI in New Jersey. What should I do?

Your best bet is to hire an experienced DUI attorney local to where you were arrested. Being from another state does not exempt you from the consequences of a DUI charge. Failure to resolve the charge will get reported to the state of New York (or wherever the defendant’s home state may be), which will likely impose its own consequences.

Get Your Questions Answered In A Free Initial Consultation

Michael J. Beatrice, P.C., Attorney at Law, offers free initial consultations to prospective clients living in the Mahwah area of New Jersey or facing charges here. To schedule yours, call the office at 201-897-3570 or submit an online contact form.