DEEP Requirements: What First Time OUI Offenders Should Know
The Law Office of William T. Bly 50 Adams Street, Biddeford, ME 04005 207-571-8146
A DUI charge in Maine requires the driver to go through a class. The Driver Education and Evaluation Program – or, for brevity, DEEP – is a short course every driver in Maine has to take – that is, if they are to get an ignition interlock device or their licenses back after the offense. What is DEEP? The program has three courses: the typical Risk Reduction Program for everyone, the Under 21 Program for younger drivers, and the Treatment Completion Program for individuals who need oneon-one counseling regarding substance abuse. All programs span a full weekend, starting on a Friday night and ending on the following Sunday. As the program does not involve custody, all drivers may go home at night. Drivers have to pay for the course out-of-pocket. The program encompasses all DUI offenders in Maine. It does not matter if the license came from the state or otherwise. The law simply requires every driver to complete the course. The Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) may allow drivers to complete this requirement in their home states; provided that the circumstances call for it and that there is a similar program in the said state. When Do Drivers Need to Take the DEEP? There is no set deadline as to when drivers have to take the DEEP, but lawyers advise everyone to finish the course as soon as possible. The earlier the driver completes this requirement, the earlier can the government process the reinstatement of the license.
Is There an Option to Not Take the Course? Drivers have to register and finish the DEEP. If not, the license would remain under suspension. Even
after
the
suspension
period,
the
government would not reinstate the license until after the DEEP has been completed. Furthermore, anyone who has not completed the DEEP yet and still continues to drive may get in deeper trouble with the law. An officer may charge a driver with operating a vehicle after suspension, which willget harsher penalties. There is no way around this program. Whenever there is an OUI offense, it is mandatory to complete the DEEP – or at least its counterpart in another state, if allowed by the BMV. This is the state’s measure to ensure that the roads remain safe for everyone.
RESOURCES: http://williamblylaw.com/ http://www.duiprocess.com/state/ME/ouilaws.php http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/samhs/osa/deep/prodesc/