Zooming Through DUI School – Remote DUI Programs In Marin County California

This article will help you understand

• What DUI School is,
• Your options for attending DUI School remotely in Marin County California, and
• How a qualified and experienced DUI attorney can help you with your DUI school program,

What Is DUI School?

If you get convicted of Driving Under the Influence in Marin County, or if you don’t win your DMV hearing after a DUI arrest and you want to get a work-restricted or ignition interlock license, you are going to have to complete a DUI program, often called DUI school.

In fact, when you get convicted of a DUI charge and get put on probation in Marin County, a condition of your probation is having to complete a DUI school.

DUI Programs, or DUI Schools, are courses of varying lengths that aim to help drivers avoid repeating their DUI offenses. These rehabilitation-focused programs teach about the dangers of alcohol or substance abuse, as well as other key lessons to help ensure you will not drink and drive again.

What Is Remote DUI School In Marin County, California?

DUI schools, up until the pandemic began, were all in person. Given the restrictions of close quarters, distancing rules, and mask requirements during the pandemic, the state of California decided to allow them to go digital.

Now Zoom and other virtual platforms are used by schools across California. Not all of them, of course. A number of them shut down or never went virtual in the first place, but most of them which did were able to survive as a result.

With these programs, you would do your DUI class for three hours once a week, just via Zoom or whichever virtual platform they decided to use, instead of meeting up in person.

What Happened With DUI School In Marin County During The Pandemic?

Now in Marin County, unfortunately, the DUI school turned out to be a complete disaster during the pandemic. It let all of its clients, county attorneys, and even the courts down. It shut down all operations, yet failed to inform anyone who was in the school that there were other options or they could transfer to another school. They were not answering their phones or emails or anything.

Many of their students were left in the lurch, not knowing what they should or could do. Eventually, people transferred to other schools, and only recently have people been able to go back to that Marin DUI School.

If you want to attend that school now, you can, but it is not advisable. Because of how they treated everyone during the pandemic, it is hard to trust them with something as important as your future. In situations like that, where the local school is subpar, at least remote programs mean you can pursue your DUI school requirements elsewhere.

Can I Complete My Remote DUI School Program Through A School Outside Marin County?

One of the biggest advantages of Remote DUI programs is that it is easier to complete over distance. Now you are perfectly allowed to complete the program virtually, in any county you want. If you are convicted of a DUI in Marin County, you can do any DUI school program you want, as long as it is officially accredited.

For example, there is a really good program in San Jose where you can even do the intake virtually. That means that you will not have to attend the location in person, even at the very beginning. You can be anywhere in Marin County or wherever you live and sign up for that school. Like most DUI programs, it takes about four or five weeks to get enrolled.

There’s another school in San Francisco, Driver Performance Institute, that’s virtual, owned by David and Theresa Nielsen, a Marin County duo. You are only required to come in person once, during intake and orientation, and then all of the classes are virtual and online. Again, expect about a month or more for enrollment.

How Do I Find The Right DUI School, Remote Or Otherwise, In Marin County?

One of the reasons you want to get a really good DUI lawyer who specializes in DUI cases in Marin County is because they can give you recommendations, like those above, for the best DUI Schools.

Such an attorney will also be up-to-date on what’s going on with the state of the law, the courts, the DMV, as well as DUI schools. Marin County’s Aaron Bortel has been working almost exclusively in DUI defense for over 30 years. These attorneys go to conferences all over the country and communicate with other attorneys and institutions to bring you the best possible information and results.

What Is The Current Status Of Remote DUI Programs In Marin County?

In Marin County, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the state of California more generally, when the pandemic hit, DUI classes quickly moved online. People couldn’t meet in person in small meeting rooms and the instructors did not want to be there. DUI schools could not continue to operate due to distancing rules and masking requirements, not to mention employees and instructors getting sick.

The California Department of Healthcare Services decided to go remote or, at least, let schools have the option to do so. While in November of 2022, they said schools would be returning to in-person classes by June 2023. Well, in February 2023, the Department of Healthcare Services decided to extend the remote option for DUI programs for an indefinite period, and no longer plan to terminate the ability for DUI schools to operate virtually.

This is great news for those who have to attend because it is so much easier to do virtual DUI school than to have to go in person. This also reduces the amount of driving you will need to do, which given you might be struggling with an interlock device, limited to work-related driving, or unable to drive at all during your suspension, is both more convenient and safer.

Choose Your DUI School, And DUI Lawyer, Carefully.

When you hire someone who does just DUI defense and cares about their clients, you know you will be in good hands and get the best possible results. Certainly compared to choosing a random lawyer who sent you a solicitation in the mail or just someone who is cheap.

This is your future on the line. It is important to carefully choose who you entrust that future to, either in terms of your DUI school program or the DUI attorney who will help you go through each part of the complicated process of getting you back on the road safely.

It is therefore important to invest in your future and get the best DUI lawyer in Marin County that you can afford. Not only will you be talking to someone who genuinely cares about you, but someone who understands what you are going through and how to get you the best possible results.

With the guidance of a skilled attorney for DUI Law Cases, you can have the peace of mind that comes with knowing an expert has your back. For more information on DUI Defense Law in Marin County and San Francisco, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (415) 523-7878 today.