Miserable Holiday Haiku

Sleigh bells, egg nog and

An IRS for Christmas

Fa law law Gunn Law

The stress of the holidays ramps up exponentially if you get an impaired driving “charge” at the holidays. In Alberta, unless you have been stopped before for impaired driving or there was a bad accident, you likely will not be “charged” criminally if an officer believes you were driving while under the influence of alcohol  You may be breathing a sigh of relief, thinking, “The Christmas spirit is at work here”.

Well, although the Christmas spirit is wandering around somewhere, it may have taken a bit of a detour at that moment. If the officer gives you an IRS (Immediate Roadside Sanction) also known as a Notice of Administrative Penalty (NAP) this is more of a lump of coal than a present. And it doesn’t turn into a diamond after the 7 day appeal period expires, it just gets to be a bigger, blacker lump of coal.

Sure, you won’t have a criminal conviction, but the penalties are as severe as if it were. For a first offence you are looking at a 15-month license suspension and a $1200 fine. For a second offence it will be a 39-month license suspension and fine and for a third occurrence it is a lifetime suspension!

However, Gunn Law Group is there to help. Even if you think it is too late, even if you are sure you have no good arguments, even if you have heard nobody wins these (which is definitely not true), give yourself the gift of good advice. If you reach out to us for help, our goal is to respond as quickly as possible (if not immediately, then at least the same day). The initial call is free. (Such a nice price!) We have five lawyers who do these administrative IRS appeals and so we have someone to fit everyone’s Christmas budget.

And if you are thinking that no one will get back to you on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve etc, think again! If you are stopped for impaired driving, we are ALWAYS ready to help. Feeling like you may have found that Christmas Spirit that temporarily got lost? Yes, you did.

Fa law law law law from Gunn Law Group!