WASHOUT PERIODS FOR MULTIPLE DUI / DWI ARRESTS

Drunk driving arrests carry a variety of possible punishments, which can include time in jail, huge fines, attendance at mandatory alcohol education classes, having an ignition interlock device being ordered into your car, your car insurance going up, and more.

Washout periods (also known as "look-back" periods) vary from state to state. In California, the washout period is seven years, calculated from offense date to offense date (although there is a move to expand that period to ten years, which will increase the amount of second-offense DUI cases filed in that state). In some states, it is five years.

The point of the washout period in a DUI, DWI, or drunk driving case is that after some period of time, the prior conviction "drops off," and is so stale it can no longer be used to add to the punishment for a current DUI offense. Since washout periods vary some much from state to state (some states have lifetime look-back periods), it is critical that you contact a skilled DWI lawyer in your area to analyze your case.