Drink-driving endangers your life and others. According to the NHTSA, driving under the influence of alcohol tragically results in over 10,000 fatalities every year.
The specific laws regarding drink-driving differ from state to state. Here are six of the important things you should know about the laws in California.
1. Your BAC Determines Your Ability to Drive
In California, drivers are prohibited from driving vehicles when they have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.8% or more.
However, if you are under the age of twenty-one, to legally drive in California, you must have a BAC of .01%, which illustrates California’s strict zero-tolerance policy towards young drivers drinking and driving.
Also, other BAC levels exist for certain drivers. For example, commercial drivers in California must have a BAC of less than .04%.
If any drivers are found to be over the alcohol limit for their circumstances, they will be arrested on a DUI charge and will most likely need the help of criminal lawyers Melbourne to defend them.
2. Getting SR22 Insurance in California
If you are convicted of a DUI, your license will be suspended.
To get it reinstated, your insurer has to file an SR22 with the Department of Motor Vehicles. The certificate proves you meet the minimum requirements for insurance.
Check out this helpful article to learn more about SR22 insurance and find cheap SR22 insurance quotes.
3. Refusing a Blood Alcohol Test
In order to determine your BAC, you will need to submit to BAC testing, which could consist of a breath or blood test.
The implied consent law of California requires every driver who is arrested for drink-driving to submit to testing. If you refuse, your license will be suspended and you will have to pay a fine of $125.
If it is your first offense, your license will be suspended for one year. For your second offense, the period is two years, and for the third offense, it is three years.
4. DUI Convictions
If you have an excessive BAC level and are convicted of a DUI offense, you could be sentenced to six months in jail. You will also have to pay a fine of between $390 and $1,000.
Furthermore, your vehicle will be impounded and you will have to pay the storage fees.
If it is your first offense, your license will be suspended for six months and you will have to complete a DUI program, under California dui law. You will also have to pay all fees before your license can be reinstated. Get help from a great DUI defense lawyer.
After being convicted of drink-driving in California, you could also be requested to install an ignition interlock device on your vehicle, which prevents you from starting your vehicle if you have any alcohol in your system.
In cases that involve serious injury or death, you may face a civil lawsuit, in which case you will need an experienced drunk driving accident lawyer or an owi lawyer on your side to defend you.
5. DUI Records
In California, all DUI convictions stay on the drivers’ driving records with the Department of Motor Vehicles for a period of ten years.
After that time, the offense will be removed from your record. That is great for many reasons, one of which is it will allow you to get auto insurance for a more affordable price again.
6. Using and Possessing Alcohol in Your Vehicle
The law is very strict in California about using and possessing alcohol in your vehicle, on or off the highway.
Not only is it illegal to drink alcohol while driving or riding as a passenger in a vehicle in California. It is also illegal to carry an open container of alcohol if it is not in the trunk or another place where the driver and passengers do not sit.
If you carry a container of alcohol elsewhere in your vehicle, it must be sealed, full, and unopened.
