Initial Consequences

There are several things that will happen immediately, including an impounded vehicle, suspended license, confiscation of your identification, and a few others.

My first bit of confusion was about my vehicle, and since I'm one of those typical guys who is attached to his car, I fretted over whether the tow yard was treating it with respect, if they left any scratches, if my belongings were still in it, etc. The impoundment for my super-extreme charge was 30 days, at which point I could go to All City Towing and retrieve the car, which cost roughly $780. All of my things ($400 pair of sunglasses, a few small electronic items, and even my friend's bottle of water from the fateful night) were exactly where I left them, and the car was in the same condition, albeit dirty, as when I last saw it. I've heard some stories from others that their vehicles were damaged and things were missing, but this did not happen to me. In fact, the people at the tow yard were generally friendly.

The second bit of confusion came from the driver's license suspension, and this is a rather tricky part, which, now, I feel like I played perfectly. After the traffic stop, you'll receive a piece of paper that acts as a driver's license, and this is good for 15 days, at which point, if you do nothing, the suspension kicks in. The suspension is 30 days of no driving at all and 60 days of driving only for work, school, medical, and DUI related things. You can request a hearing with MVD to delay this process, but be warned, if you request that hearing, you'll AUTOMATICALLY have to get an SR-22 in order to reinstate your license after the suspension is finally over. If you do not request the hearing, and just let this whole rigamaroo run its course, you will not have the SR-22 requirement. This was very important to me for two reasons, 1. I wanted to get it over with, and 2. Calling your insurance company and saying "I need an SR-22" is like saying "I got a DUI". If you have State Farm, like me, they will likely drop you as soon as they catch it. As of writing this, they haven't noticed mine yet, and I'm insured through the one-year anniversary of my DUI, but they could catch it at any time. I know people who have had it caught and were dropped, and I know people whose insurance company never noticed. It's also important to note that there are certain things you can do to cause them to notice; buying a new vehicle, paying late, making a claim, policy changes, and other things, will cause your record to be run. If you pay on time, don't do anything to cause them to notice you, and mind your business, it's possible they just keep renewing your policy every six-months, until it goes off your record after five years.

I am an avid cyclist, and it was wintertime in Phoenix, so I really didn't mind riding my bike everywhere, and logged 300+ miles a week for a month (I usually do about 200) by riding to/from work and to do errands. Even after I got my work only license back, I still found myself riding my bike for transport, which I never did before this, it was purely recreational.

You're going to have to visit a place to get an alcohol screening that must be completed before you can even apply to get your restricted license back. I went to Scottsdale Treatment Institute, and I recommend it. They notify MVD of your screening being complete and it only took about 40 minutes.

pro tip: order a duplicate copy of your driver's license the morning after your traffic stop. This will come in handy because yours was confiscated, and you'll need an ID if you use a credit card, want to see an R-rated movie, go to a bar, or any other number of things. If you don't do this, you'll have to go to MVD and wait in line for an ID card. They're going to take it away from you and yell at you for having it once you get your license back, but it's worth dealing with to have the card.