Can You Get a DUI on a Snowmobile?

When we have plans to drink with our friends, we try our best to have a safe plan to get home. Generally speaking, that means we are not going to drive our own vehicle, but rely on friends, Uber, or some other person to get us safely back in bed. For some, that commitment to safe driving does not always apply to other types of vehicles. In some states, you could face a DUI on a snowmobile just for enjoying the wintry fun of the season.

Not all states have specific DUI on a snowmobile laws. That does not mean you cannot still be charged with a DUI.

In states like Colorado, Illinois, Nebraska, and Wisconsin, there is legal code that defines a DUI on a snowmobile (usually at a lower BAC than a DUI on a regular vehicle, by the way). Those states and others are renowned for their winter sports activities and have had to face the destruction of an intoxicated driver who is not driving a car but speeding across large expanses of land, endangering others.

Other states may not have the same concerns in terms of the number of DUI on a snowmobile problems. Florida obviously has little need for a law that specifically addresses the danger. But, like California, there are provisions in the definition of a “vehicle” that can apply to a snowmobile… just in case that ever happens.

Essentially, if you are drinking alcohol and think you are okay to operate or drive any type of vehicle, perhaps you should think twice before you actually do so. Not only are you endangering others, but you could face the same penalties (like an ignition interlock requirement on your car, truck, or SUV) if you are convicted of driving any type of vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.