Never plead guilty® to impaired driving/DUI charges.

Never assume that you will be found guilty.

Never plead guilty to any charge, including impaired driving /DUI, until you are fully informed about the case against you. Find out if there is a way to keep your driver's licence and avoid a criminal record. The best way to learn your options is to speak to an impaired driving lawyer.

If I failed the breath test, does that mean I'm guilty?

You might think that because you failed the breath test, you don't have a defence. That's not the case. Breath-testing machines are only machines and they're not perfect. They can make mistakes. So can the police officers operating them. If a mistake has been made, a judge may never hear that you failed the breath test. That's because the test results can be excluded from the evidence against you. You'd be surprised how often this happens. Police officers make mistakes all the time.

But what if I was drinking and driving?

You might think that if you were drinking and driving you will lose. That's not true. First of all, it's not against the law to drink and drive. Impaired driving/DUI cases are complex. There are hundreds of ways an experienced impaired driving lawyer can win these cases. This has been consistently demonstrated at impaired driving trials all across Canada. Never assume you will be convicted just because you were drinking and driving.

Get informed about your charges.

Never plead guilty to an impaired driving charge until you are fully informed about what a guilty plea might mean to you.

Find out if the prosecution can prove its case. If it can't, the charges against you must be dismissed.

Find out if you have a defence to your impaired driving charge. There are many ways to defend an impaired driving charge, even if you failed the breath test and your readings were over the legal limit.

Don't assume anything. What might seem insignificant to you may be the thing that keeps you from being convicted. Many people enter a guilty plea only to learn they had an absolute defence to the charges.

Find out if you can enter a plea to a lesser, included offence. You may be able to plead guilty to reduced charges (like a traffic ticket) and keep your driver's licence. Once you have entered a guilty plea, it is difficult, or even impossible, to withdraw it.

Finally, find out what the penalties are for an impaired driving conviction. You'll learn they are severe. Penalties for an impaired driving conviction can include:

• a criminal record
• jail
• fines
• increased insurance payments
• temporary or permanent loss of your driver's licence
• losing your job, if you depend on your licence for work

Learn your options before you plead guilty. You can still decide to plead guilty after you receive advice from an impaired driving lawyer.