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Operating While Visibly Impaired

Anyone under investigation for drunk driving will be concerned about OWI or DUI charges, but many forget that criminal conviction and serious penalties can also result from an operating while visibly impaired (OWVI) conviction. To be convicted of OWVI, prosecuting attorneys must prove that your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle was impaired by alcohol. This charge does not require blood test or breathalyzer test evidence, and convictions can be based on shaky evidence from field sobriety tests, common traffic violations, and more.

Michigan Defense For OWVI Charges

Grabel & Associates is recognized as one of Michigan’s best law firms, and our criminal defense team will aggressively defend anyone facing OWVI charges. If you beat charges of Operating While Intoxicated, you can still be charged with Operating While Visibly Impaired, and could face jail, fines, driver’s license suspension, and more. You will require a skilled lawyer to protect you and fight to keep you on the road throughout every step of your case, and our lawyers have the experience needed to achieve outstanding results in even the most difficult DUI cases.

Difference Between DUI or OWI and OWVI

If you have a blood alcohol content of above 0.08% and operate a motor vehicle, you could face charges of Operating While Intoxicated (OWI), commonly referred to as DUI. In contrast, OWVI charges do not require that you be over a certain blood alcohol content, rather that you look obviously impaired to the police officer who has pulled you over. If you are driving with a blood alcohol content of between 0.02 and 0.08 and have been questioned or investigated by police, contact Grabel & Associates immediately. We will fight to protect your rights and ensure you are not wrongfully convicted of OWVI. Our aggressive criminal defense is effective in Michigan DUI cases, and our team will dedicate as much time as necessary to defeat the charges against you.

OWVI Criminal Penalty in Michigan

Even if your blood alcohol content is not over the legal limit, you could face harsh criminal penalties for OWVI. The criminal penalties for operating a vehicle while visibly impaired in Michigan are as follows, according to the Michigan Vehicle Code. First OWVI Conviction: A fine of up to $300, along with either 93 days in jail, 360 hours of community service, or both. You could also face driver’s license sanctions, vehicle immobilization, up to 4 points on your Michigan driver’s license, and potential driver responsibility fees.

Second OWVI Offense: A fine of between $200 and $1,000, along with either a jail sentence of between 5 days and 365 days, 30 to 90 days of community service, or both. Your driver’s license could also be revoked for a year or more, your vehicle could be immobilized or forfeited, 4 points could be added to your driver’s license, and you could face possible driver responsibility fees.

Third OWVI Conviction (Felony): Fines of as much as $5,000, along with either imprisonment for between 1 and 5 years, or probation combined with a jail sentence of between 30 days to a year. You could also face community service for up to 180 days, driver’s license revocation, vehicle immobilization or forfeiture, 4 points on your driver’s license, driver responsibility fees, and more.

Let our experienced DUI defense firm protect you from these serious punishments. Grabel & Associates is a top quality law firm dedicated to obtaining the best possible outcome in all drunk driving cases.

Our Approach to Visibly Impaired Driving Charges

With a charge like visibly impaired driving, much of the evidence comes directly from the observations of police and prosecutors who are trying to put you behind bars. Grabel & Associates is a premier law firm dedicated to achieving unrivaled results in all OWI cases, including OWVI charges. Our statewide attorneys have experience working in complex DUI cases, and will commit as much time as necessary to ensure you completely understand every legal issue affecting your case.

Defending Clients in Intoxicated Driving Cases Throughout Michigan

We will aggressively combat flawed field sobriety test results, mistakes in test procedures, rights violations, faulty blood tests and breathalyzer tests, and other police or prosecutor mistakes commonly made in Michigan OWVI cases. Our lawyers have been earning case dismissals and lessened charges in DUI cases for over a decade, and can help you achieve the best possible result in any stage of your criminal case. If you are under investigation for drunk driving, have just been arrested, or already have a conviction on your record, contact our talented criminal defense team now. We will build a criminal defense approach that is tailored to the specific details of your case, working to prove your innocence through compelling evidence and by exposing flaws in the prosecution’s case.

Contact Scott Grabel for Aggressive Criminal Defense In Michigan

Call 1-800-342-7896 immediately for a free consultation. Don’t hesitate to obtain an attorney, the early stages of DUI cases are absolutely critical. You can also contact us online, and set up a free case consultation with trial attorney Scott Grabel. Without a lawyer, you could face unnecessary fines, license suspension, and even jail time, and our attorneys will fight to protect you from these severe punishments. Contact us right now for effective drunk driving defense in operating while visibly impaired cases.


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If you are reading these reviews you are about to make a decision that will have a large impact on the rest of your life. I choose Grabel and Associates to represent me in my case and I could not have been more satisfied with the level of professionalism and dedication to their clients. I had the opportunity to meet and work with multiple lawyers in the practice all of which showcased a vast knowledge and understanding of the inner workings of the legal system. When you choose Scott Grabel to represent you will open yourself up to all of his resources. Depending on your case Grabel knows experts in all fields. I worked with polygraph examiners, investigators, and forensics experts. Grabel and Associates will defend without prejudice of innocence or guilt. Scott Grabel was able to lead me through every step of the process with great communication the whole way. I would recommend Scott Grabel and Associates to my friends, family and anyone who is in need of representation. B. A.
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Best attorney in state of Michigan. Caring and a true friend. Scott was with us every step of the way. He fought for a great injustice for our son and was able to provide an outcome that gave his life back. L. A.
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Scott and his firm did an awesome job representing a family member of mine, I would highly recommend him and his firm! They were extremely reliable, trustworthy and very informative and did a great job with the case. I couldn't be happier with the results that we received, I can't speak highly enough about the great job he did. If you are thinking about using his firm, I would highly recommend, I would definitely use his firm again if needed, he is an a great attorney with a great firm, you won't be disappointed! M. F.
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