There’s nothing like a drink after a long day or week on the job. Plenty of hard-working blue-collar professionals stop off for an occasional drink after work. They may also enjoy social drinking with friends and family on the weekends.
Sometimes, people underestimate how much they have had to drink. They may try to drive home, only to end up arrested. If someone drives poorly or fails a chemical test during a traffic stop, they might face drunk driving charges.
While many people think of drunk driving as a minor, victimless crime, any conviction can affect a blue-collar employee. In some cases, a single drunk driving offense could do significant damage to a motorist’s career. What about impaired driving charges might potentially harm someone’s career?
The impact of court and sentences
People may miss multiple days of work to attend court or while in state custody after their initial arrest. If the sentence the courts impose includes incarceration, they may miss weeks of work or more. Blue-collar workers can potentially lose their jobs because of the attendance issues drunk driving charges cause.
The driver’s license suspension
A driver’s license suspension is a standard impaired driving penalty in Louisiana. Someone’s prior record determines how long they may go without their driving privileges. In situations where people must drive for work, a licensed suspension could affect their job performance. Those who have a commercial driver’s license (CDL) might become ineligible after their conviction. Losing a CDL could be a major career setback.
The criminal record
A drunk driving conviction may not seem as serious as a violent felony. Still, it turns up whenever employers perform background checks. Every time someone applies for a new job or is up for a promotion at work, the record of their drunk driving conviction might influence the final decision the company makes. Some employers have zero-tolerance policies for convictions. They may terminate workers who break the law while on their payroll.
For many blue-collar professionals, the best way to avoid the damage of a drunk driving conviction may be to fight the charges that they’re already facing. Depending on the situation, there could be a variety of different strategies that could help someone accused of drunk driving to avoid a record.
