For minors who are found to be drunk and driving, there are legal repercussions that can be taken against them. Those under the age of 21 come under minors. As a penalty, five hundred dollars might be charged against them. Furthermore, they might be given alcohol awareness classes.
Their driver’s license will remain suspended anywhere from thirty to eighty days. Whether you had beer or wine, these penalties can be triggered by any of these and many more. During the second offense, your driver’s license will get suspended.
In addition, if you are seventeen years old or older than that, you can even be put in jail for the third offense. The fine will also be increased in this scenario; it can be up to two thousand dollars. It is essential that you, as a minor, take care of these things when driving.
You will not only be a threat to yourself but also to others. Your mistake can result in severe injuries or even cause death in the worst case. It can leave a scar on your life. Try to avoid drunk driving. However, if you get yourself into such accidents, contact a DWI lawyer.
What are the precautions that parents can take?
There are various precautions that parents can take, some of which are listed here:
- Parents should set a good example by not driving themselves drunk, as children always learn from their elders.
- Keep an eye out when your child comes back from driving to see if they are drunk or not.
- If anytime you catch them drunk while driving, make sure to give them a good lesson.
- As parents, you need to be a little strict here, even if it may come out a little rude to your children.
- It is always better to take precautions than to be sorry.
- Educate your children about the possible repercussions of their irresponsible behavior.
- Try to scare them a bit if needed, and tell them they will not get to drive again if such behavior is repeated.
What are the repercussions of providing alcohol to minors?
Minors are not supposed to get drinks in the first place. If any place does sell alcohol to minors, they can be fined around four thousand dollars. It comes under a Class A misdemeanor, and they can even be sent to jail for the same. Only a legal guardian or a parent can provide alcohol, although they need to be there when their child consumes it.
What are zero-tolerance laws for underage drivers?
In order to reduce the number of crashes resulting from underage drivers who are under the influence, many states practice zero-tolerance laws. These laws make it illegal for underage drivers to be driving even with a small consumption of alcohol.
The Federal Zero Tolerance Bill helped come up with zero-tolerance laws. The bill makes it illegal for underage drivers to have 0.02 or more than this level of alcohol in their blood while driving. As per the bill, every state needs to follow these laws.
In the case of adults, 0.08 level of alcohol in blood is the requirement. 0.01 or 0.02 is almost the same as having one glass of drink, which is illegal in the case of underage drivers. Some states do not even allow any percentage of alcohol at all.
Only that the underage driver had a drink before driving would be sufficient enough to take action. Jail time is unlikely in the case of minor kids. However, it might be there depending on the level of alcohol in the blood.
Hire a defense attorney in case of an accident!
Taking precautions is always the first thing to do, but if you still get yourself in such situations, you need to get in touch with a good lawyer. A lawyer can defend your case and provide some relief before you get proven guilty.
