Pete had really blown it this time and there was no going back and making the right decision in order to avoid the situation. Making the choice to have a few beers before turning in for the night had been what was sure to be a costly and ill-fated option. He dreaded calling Sally, his wife of twenty-four years to let her know that he had been picked up by the Ohio State Patrol and was currently incarcerated. He had been stopped for erratic driving and was arrested when he testing positive for operating his car in an impaired condition. To make matters even worse, Pete earned his living driving for the local transit bus company and now his commercial driving license would be in jeopardy. Yes, this was certainly a crisis situation and he would need the best Cincinnati DUI lawyer that money could buy. After speaking with his wife and asking her to make some inquiries for him, Pete was able to make contact with a group of Cincinnati DUI lawyers that came highly recommended. One of them readily agreed to represent him and promptly began gathering information regarding his arrest report and his incriminating test results for further examination. He then sat down with Pete and detailed his top concerns about a possible conviction and the resulting penalties and how he would seek to counter them. Very quickly, two main considerations rose to the top of list:

- The first priority for Pete was to keep his state sanctioned right to drive and not have to give up his license. This was imperative in his case because his job required him to be registered as a commercially licensed driver. Not having this credential might cause him to lose his job and would threaten his livelihood. The attorney assured Pete that although this was always a possibility the likelihood of it happening to him was slim due to the fact that this was his first offense of operating a car while intoxicated.

- Another consideration that was troublesome and could exact a very steep cost was the increase to the insurance rates that normally followed an arrest for operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Finances had been a struggle for this family anyway and this could be a major problem if the insurance costs climbed much higher. The attorney advised Pete that he would try to offset some of these costs by using the argument that Pete would agree to enter an alcohol awareness program where he would be counseled extensively about the dangers of drinking and driving. This program would also provide him with the tools needed to drink responsibly so this situation would never happen again. One such tool consists of a chart that lists the weight of the person who chooses to drink and then the blood alcohol level corresponding with the number of drinks consumed by that person. This gives a very accurate idea of when to stop drinking safely so a person knows that he is capable of operating a car in a proper manner. These programs have been court sanctioned and recommended highly for years.