Reader’s Question:

I was hoping I could find lower rate car insurance policy here in Montgomery, Alabama. How do you think I can compare auto insurance policies from different companies?

Apple

Montgomery, AL

Auto insurance policies have a lot of terms and coverage options. You have to have a dash of financial and legal knowledge to select a policy that is suitable for your needs. Most auto insurance agents are willing to provide you information about multiple options and quotes for possible coverage. However, they want you to purchase a policy from them, so shop around and get information from different agents.

You can consider the brand name of the company while comparing auto insurance quotes in Montgomery, Alabama. A company that has a good reputation in the marketplace makes them dependable and credible and that would help you when making claims. You can also check the deductible when reviewing the auto insurance quotes. Higher deductibles typically mean lower insurance premium rates on your auto insurance. You can opt to have a policy based on lower rates and higher deductibles or higher rates and lower deductibles, which depends on the type of auto insurance you want.

Tags: auto insurance, car insurance policy, car insurance rate

Reader’s Question:

I think a friend of mine here in Mobile, Alabama has a drinking problem and it could also turn out to be a drinking and driving problem because he usually drives after having some drinks. Nobody wants him to get a DUI charge, so how do you think can I make him not drive after consuming alcohol?

Danika

Mobile, AL

First of all, if your try to talk to your friend whom you think has a drinking and driving problem, keep things light and avoid arguments and accusations. You can use humor so that you can get your hands on the car keys. This would definitely keep the situation from turning ugly. You might want to sneak the keys away and if all else fails, just take the keys when your friend is not looking. He would probably just think the keys were lost and eventually give up looking.

You may also suggest your friend to attend a treatment program if his drunken driving is already a part of the pattern. The American Council on Alcoholism does offer programs across the US. You should do this when you are both sober, and remember to be a good listener if your friend wants to discuss the problem. Also, if both of you are sober and talk about the problem, you can remind him that if he gets caught drunk driving and be charged with DUI in Mobile, Alabama, he will be facing a serious charge. A DUI conviction would have harsh legal ramifications and can affect a lot of aspects in his life like being barred entry in some countries, losing job or future job opportunities and having an increased premium rates on auto insurance for so many years.

Tags: auto insurance, DUI, DUI arrest, DUI lawyer

Reader’s Question:

If my drivers license was revoked due to DUI in TN, and after a year I was convicted of Driving on Revoked. What do I do to obtain a restricted license in Tuscaloosa Alabama?

Brenda

Tuscaloosa AL

According to the Alabama Department of Public Safety (DPS) driver license shall not be issued to any individual whose driving rights or privilege is revoked or suspended in any state.

The state of Alabama does not offer a hardship license if your drivers license has been revoked or suspended. This means you will not be given special permission to operate to and from work or to drive on the job.

So under the existing AL Code of laws a driver’s license may not be issued to any individual whose driving privilege or rights is revoked or suspended.

So currently in Alabama a hardship license is not available however you should verify with the AL legislation to check where HB 112 stands and if there is any hope of a hardship license being allowed in the near future in this state if this is where you are living. Even if the hardship license becomes available since it seems you do not have an Alabama license but one revoked in Tennessee you may still not be eligible for an Alabama license of any type, again you would have to verify with the Alabama DPS.

Tags: auto insurance, Driving without License, DUI

Reader’s Question:

My boyfriend drove my automobile and he got convicted of a DUI. How is this going to affect my car insurance rates in Hoover, AL?

Amelie

Hoover, AL

Typically, if a violation is written to a driver only and not against the automobile, it is the driver’s record that will be affected. If this is the case and your boyfriend got convicted of Driving Under The Influence or DUI in his name only then usually it would be his driving license and automobile insurance rates that would be affected by this citation and not your auto insurance rate in Hoover, Alabama.

Many states have harsh laws against driving under the influence (DUI) of either drugs or alcohol. A court conviction of a person operating while intoxicated, OWI, includes penalties such as course or seminars for drinking drivers and substance abuse evaluation and or treatment and 48 hour jail sentence for a first offense. This is drunk driving conviction may also come with a fine of up of to $1000.

Tags: auto insurance, drunk driving insurance, DUI, sr22 insurance

Reader’s Question:

I have a friend who has been recently charged with DUI here in Dothan, Alabama and according to the arresting officer, he smelled a strong odor of alcohol on my friend’s breath and on the vehicle that’s why he was cited for drunk driving. Does this strong odor of alcohol correlate with the actual blood alcohol level?

Belle

Dothan, AL

In a typical DUI arrest in Dothan, Alabama, it would be close to impossible that an officer would not say that he smelled an alcohol on the DUI suspect or on the vehicle. An officer would always mention that he smelled “a strong odor of alcohol on the suspect’s breath” that’s why he believes that the DUI suspect was drunk. But during the cross examination, the officer would look foolish when he would admit that alcohol (ethanol) itself has no odor. It’s the flavoring or the mixing agent that produces the odor we associate with alcohol. I understand that you may doubt this one but you can go to the market and buy a non-alcoholic beer and you would notice that it tastes and smells just like beer, but it doesn’t have alcohol.

Undoubtedly, studies show that the judgement of the police officer of how strong the person’s breath smells of alcohol simply has got nothing to do with his/her actual blood alcohol level. All that can be picked up from the “smell of alcohol on the breath” is that the DUI suspect probably consumed some alcohol recently. However, it doesn’t provide exact evidence that the person drank enough to have a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher or to be “under the influence.”

Tags: blood alcohol test, DUI, DUI arrest, DUI lawyer

Reader’s Question:

During the arraignment can I represent myself in trial? What can a lawyer do for me? What will is the asking price to get a lawyer in Montgomery, AL?

Carrie

Montgomery, AL

These are really good questions. Carrie, you can stand for yourself — though it is not really an excellent idea. DWI is an extremely multifaceted field with more and more harsh penalty. There is a field of complex bureaucratic, evidentiary, legitimate, punishment and administrative license matters.What can a lawyer do for you? In actual honesty, there is nothing. If he is not capable in this extremely specific turf then he really could not help you. A capable attorney, on the other hand, can evaluate the case for imperfections, hold back evidence, force discovery of such things as regulation and maintenance records for the breath machine, have blood samples separately analyzed, bargain for a lesser accusation or reduced sentence, get hold of expert witnesses for trial, and dispute the administrative license suspension.This differs, of course, by the status and familiarity of the lawyer and by the location of the firm. Generally, the more skilled the attorney is, the more expensive their fees are. An associated factor is the quantity of time a lawyer dedicates to his cases: the good lawyers take less clients, spending more time on each.In Montgomery Alabama the standard range for an attorney is approximately from $1,500 to $2,500. Aspects that may be the basis of the fee to be amplified or reduced include: Is the case a misdemeanor or felony? If former convictions are suspected, the measures for attacking them might put in to the cost. The cost may or might not include hearing or pleas. Expenses such as skilled witness fees, autonomous blood analysis, refurbish of subpoenas, and others may be extra.

Reader’s Question:

A friend of mine was charged with DUI her in Alabama and she was never advised by the arresting officer with a Miranda warning. Can she have her case dismissed?

Jane

Birmingham, AL

Thanks for asking, Jane.

If your friend was arrested for DUI in Alabama and she was not advised by the police officer of her Miranda rights, I’m sorry to tell you but your friend’s case cannot be dismissed for this reason. The officers are under obligation to advise her of the 5th Amendment after the arrest has taken place. However, in some cases, they do not fulfill this requirement. If this happens, the prosecution will be unable to use any of your statements after the arrest as evidence in the case.

Another unfortunate, but common, situation occurs when the police officer does not inform her of her rights with chemical testing. Alabama has an “implied consent” that addresses her legal obligations to consent to chemical testing and the consequences if she refuses. This is a particularly important regulation for her to be aware of as it can potentially affect the suspension of her driver’s license.

Reader Question Is there a possibility of having my driver’s license suspended or taken away from me for not carrying a proof of auto insurance in the state of Alabama ?

Sandra, Decatur AL

Hey there Sandra,

First of all girl, you gotta carry proof of auto insurance in all states, it’s the law and breaking it will cost you time and money. As to your question, there is a possibility of having your driver’s license suspended, but to the best of my knowledge this does not happened for your first offense, at least not in Alabama anyway.

However, I have been told that some police officers will ask you to present proof of insurance and you can’t show any, you will be guilty of improper conduct and will have a fine of $500.

When I would imagine if you got caught the second or third time without proof, you might face suspension or something along those lines. My dad always told me, if you cant afford auto insurance you can’t afford to drive a car.

After being pulled over on the lonely roads of Alaska, you are faced with something a little unreal and a little scary: a DUI conviction. You have feelings associated with this, which are basically “bad bad bad”. So you’re kind of murky, and you may stumble into this without knowing the possibilities that a lawyer may offer you. So, just to break it down for you, here are some ways that an Anchorage Alaska DUI lawyer could possibly help you:

• Since you may be new to this, an Anchorage Alaska DUI lawyer will be excellent when it comes to giving you explanations of just what is happening. They can explain the laws you broke, the consequences breaking those laws carry, and also what your chances are for winning your case, and how you should be defining a win.
• Lawyers can handle the little stuff without doing some kind of screw up which will put you in a deep, deep hole.
• Lawyers can hold up for you in court.+

Always bring some kind of notebook when you go to the consultation to consider hiring a Mobile Alabama DUI lawyer. You’ll need to speak with more than one lawyer, and having notes will allow you to compare them intelligently later on. Since you’ll be taking notes, it’s best to keep it organized and make sure that, while following the flow of the conversation, to at least keep a few questions the same across the table. Here are a few suggestions.

• Can you tell me which lawyer will be defending me in the court of law? The answer to this determines how the rest of your consultation will go, and if it will go at all. If they aren’t going to be your representation, you should either request to speak with your representation or tell them goodbye.
• Can you give me a rundown of your experience? You don’t need every detail from their coffee cup heat to the kind of tie the judge was wearing, but knowing experience when hiring a Mobile Alabama DUI lawyer is important. You’ll want to know the number of years since they started practicing law, and how much of that time they’ve been working on DUI cases, and of their whole case load how many DUI cases they handle, and how well they do on these.