VISTA DUI LAWYER – MICHAEL REHM
FREE CONSULTATIONS – (619) 787-3456
Traffic enforcement in Vista is primarily provided by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office. Patrol deputies occasionally set up DUI checkpoints to assess the sobriety of drivers. Drivers who have been drinking are always at risk of being arrested for driving under the influence (DUI).
In the most recent year analyzed by the Office of Traffic Safety, law enforcement officers made 306 DUI arrests in Vista. Compared to California cities of comparable size, the arrest rate in Vista is relatively low.
Vista DUI Prosecutions
A driver who is arrested for DUI in Vista will be prosecuted in the San Diego County Superior Court. The District Attorney's office has discretion to charge drivers with a felony if they have three or more DUI convictions in the past ten years. About 95% of drivers are prosecuted for a misdemeanor.
The charge and potential penalties are the same whether a driver is charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In a typical year, only 5% to 6% of drivers in San Diego County are charged with a DUI involving drugs. Since the offense is more difficult to prove when the driver is suspected of being under the influence of drugs, a DUI based on drug use is usually charged when the driver caused an accident by driving erratically.
About 23% of drivers charged with a DUI in San Diego County avoid a DUI conviction.
In some cases, plea bargaining results in a reduced charge. About 12% of defendants charged with a DUI in San Diego County are convicted of a lesser traffic offense. That offense is most often a “wet reckless,” a form of reckless driving that exposes a driver to lower fines and less jail time than a DUI. A “wet reckless” is often a good result for drivers who have a CDL or otherwise need to keep a DUI conviction off their driving records.
Finally, more than 10% of drivers who face a DUI charge in San Diego County end up with no conviction at all. DUI defense lawyers have usually helped them by filing motions that cause the evidence against them to be thrown out or by persuading a jury to return a verdict of “not guilty.”
Vista DUI Court
Vista DUI Arrests, and all North San Diego County DUI arrests are heard at the North County Regional Center, located at 325 South Melrose Drive Vista, CA 92081. For more information on how the court system and the DMV can affect your life in this matter, call Vista CA DUI Attorney Michael Rehm at (619) 787-3456 for a free confidential consultation.
VISTA CA DUI ATTORNEY – MICHAEL REHM
FREE CONSULTATIONS – (619) 787-3456
Vista DUI Resources: