3 Things To Know If You Get A DUI While Vacationing In Another State

Of all of the things that you might have had planned for your vacation, one thing that you probably did not plan for was getting arrested for drinking and driving. If you had a few too many drinks and then got behind the wheel of your car — or rental car — to head back to your hotel, though, you might have gotten a nasty surprise when you got pulled over by local law enforcement. Some of the things that you will need to know when dealing with this situation have been outlined here.

1. Make Sure You Don't Ignore the Situation

For one thing, you could be thinking that you will be able to just leave the town that you're visiting and pretend like nothing happened when you get back home. However, you could be arrested if you miss any of your court dates, even if you live in another state. If you had to post bond to get out of jail after being arrested, then a bounty hunter might come looking for you if you don't show up for court. These are just some of the issues that could arise if you try to ignore your DUI, so make sure that you take the situation seriously and take all of the steps that are necessary to handle it.

2. Hire a Local Lawyer

Even if you have a favorite attorney back home that you would prefer to hire, you are going to need to find someone who provides services in the area that you are visiting. Then, you can make sure that your DUI lawyer is local to the courthouse and is up to date on all of the laws in the state that you are visiting. The good news is that you should be able to easily communicate with your attorney over the phone or by email, even when you head back home.

3. Be Prepared to Travel

When your court dates pop up and when other things need to be handled with your case, you may be required to travel back to the area where you were arrested for a DUI. This can add additional expenses and hassle to the situation, but it is often necessary. If your attorney is aware that you live in another state, however, he or she should take steps to help cut down on the number of trips that you have to make back to the vacation destination where you got arrested.