Hailey’s Law and Mandatory Car Towing

Not all of us are capable of fully grasping the dangers of drunk driving. People disregard all the safety measures and terrible accidents happen. Sure enough, law prohibits driving under influence of alcohol or drugs and it is only natural that you are going to be arrested for it. On the other hand, some accidents are not as dire as they could be and you will soon be released, wondering what has happened to your vehicle. Well, the relatively new law states that any vehicle that caused a DUI accident, must be towed and placed at the tow company’s parking lot. Now, this is where things may well get tricky. Let us assume you want to get your car back as soon as possible and you send a sober friend of yours to pick it up. Well, before 2011, your friend could get the vehicle back if the law enforcement officer decided that he was capable of driving carefully. However, on July 22, 2011 a tragedy occurred that changed things in a very drastic manner. Some guy, who was arrested for drunk driving, was soon released and returned to his car. While still being drunk, he caused a severe accident and people died. From there on, Hailey’s Law was issued. This law places any DUI vehicle to a towing company’s parking lot for 12 hours. This means that there is no way you could get your car back earlier and you will have to wait for 12 hours.

The law may seem to be a contradictory one, but it has its point. After all, 12 hours is more than enough for most people to sober up and they will be able to pick up their vehicle later, while not being influenced by alcohol or drugs. Yet, do not forget that the towing company is going to charge a certain fee for towing your vehicle and for letting it remain parked for a certain amount of time. But how will you find the towing company that took your car in the first place? Well, to begin with, you can also ask your arresting officer. If he does not know the answer, you can get in touch with the central police department representatives, who will be able to provide you with adequate info.

It is crucial to keep in mind that you simply cannot drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Think about all the people, who may become victims of your careless actions. Do not be surprised if your vehicle is going to be taken away by a towing company. Yet, once again, we all make mistakes, so you can always consult a good Los Angeles criminal attorney to figure out what to do next. The car might not be your biggest problem in this case. Hence, if you were in a car accident and you were influenced by alcohol or drugs, do not hesitate to get an advice to follow from qualified Los Angeles DUI lawyer and he will help you figure out how to proceed onward. After all, you can always wait for 12 hours and get your vehicle back, safe and sound. However, if you are going to be found guilty in causing a serious accident, you will want to have the best Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer by your side to defend you!