DUI Sentencing

In recent years the government has really started to crack down on DUI offenders. The laws have started to come less lenient towards everyone, young and old. The legal BAC limit has been lowered to .08 from .10 for adults, and a zero tolerance policy is starting to be enforced for everyone that is under the age of 21. This means that the officer that is on the scene is able to confiscate any driver’s license that is unable to pass or refuses to take a breath test. These news laws have led to more arrests, stiffer sentencing, and more DUI charges being placed on people that are under the legal age of 21.

Harsher Penalties

There are many new laws that a lot of the states have passed that have led to harsher penalties, especially for repeat offenders. In fact, many states now have laws in place that require repeat offenders to serve mandatory jail time. Also, many of the existing laws in place have been expanded upon. For instance, many of the fines that are associated with these types of offenses have begun to rise. There are also lengthier suspension times for people whose licenses are confiscated.

The people that are going through these charges usually will hire a lawyer and plead guilt in hopes of getting a reduced sentence. However, with the new laws that are in place for underage and repeat DUI offenders are mandated by the government and are pretty much mandatory. All of the old laws that were in place, for the most part, are still in place but they keep getting harsher in order to try and combat all of the death that DUI offenses have been the cause of recently. Due to this fact there are many new laws that can even strip offenders of their civil rights including their ability to have their driving privileges and even their ability to vote. This is changing the way that people think about charges of DUI for both underage people and adults.

The Consequences

There are many consequences that come from DUI charges. This is why it is so important to inform children on all of the penalties that comes these types of offenses. Due to this, there are many new government backed programs that aim to promote awareness on the subject in schools across the country.

Contact one of our experienced drunk driving lawyers in your area today!