A DUI plea bargain occurs when the government and the defendant make a specific arrangement in which the defendant agrees to plead guilty to the DUI charge.  The defendant is usually offered reduced charges, in exchange for the government not prosecuting him or her further.  Although it is somewhat rare in DUI cases, this arrangement may be appropriate for both the defendant and the government depending on the seriousness of the crime and the strength of the evidence.

A good example of a plea bargain in a DUI case would be where the prosecuting attorney comes to the defendant and offers him or her a reduction in charges from a straight DUI charge to a reckless driving or “open container” violation.  This is normally done if the defendant has a clean criminal record.