If you are charged with drunk driving in Texas, you may face a number of penalties such as the loss of your driver’s license or your car. In addition, you may also lose any security clearances that you had prior to the DWI charge.
How a DWI might impact your clearance
Generally speaking, clearances are only given out to those who can be trusted to make smart decisions. Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol is not classified as a smart decision by most people. Therefore, your boss may have to carefully consider whether a DWI constituted a singular lapse in judgment or is indicative of how you might act in the future. It is possible that you’ll lose your clearance even if you are first-time offender if your actions were especially egregious or otherwise put your employer in a bad light.
Tips for retaining your clearance
There are several actions that you might consider taking after incurring a drunk driving charge. For instance, you may opt to defend against the charge in court if you think that you can get it dropped or reduced. Proving your innocence may be the easiest and most direct way to avoid losing your clearance or other severe punishments. You may also take steps to show how you will avoid a future DWI such as going to rehab or installing an ignition interlock device in your car.
If you are charged with drunk driving, there may be many ways in which you can clear your name. For example, you may argue that there was no basis for the stop that resulted in the charge. It may also be possible to argue that there were problems with the way a Breathalyzer or other type of sobriety test was administered.