Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is never a smart decision. When you get caught or cause an incident while driving impaired, the consequences are severe. However, they are even more severe if you have broken more than one law during the course of your DUI. Normally, that is where Colorado aggravated DUI consequences step in.

There are several factors that can cause you to be charged with a Colorado aggravated DUI, including the following:

High blood alcohol concentration (BAC)

If your BAC is .20% or more it is considered an aggravating circumstance and will result in harsher punishments, such as mandatory jail time and license suspension. You may qualify for a restricted license after one to two months of full suspension and the installation of an ignition interlock device.

DUI Accident Occurred

If you caused an accident while you were impaired that caused injury or death, you are looking at a significant increase in the severity of your charges and penalties. You can be charged with a felony in the case of severe injury or death, both of which result in extended time in prison.

A Child in the Car

If there is a minor present in the car that was under 16 when you are investigated for a DUI, you will be charged with a Colorado Aggravated DUI.

Careless or Reckless Driving

If you are driving erratically as well as being under the influence, this is considered an aggravating factor. You could receive more jail time, higher fines, and longer license suspensions.

Previous DUI Convictions

If this is not your first DUI that will be taken into consideration in the penalties phase of your case.

To save yourself from a Colorado Aggravated DUI, do not drink and drive. The consequences reflect the severe nature of the crime you are committing, not just a bad choice you made. Have a plan in place before the night begins to save yourself from making bad decisions while under the influence.

Arizona is famous for its harsh criminal penalties. An Arizona DUI is not an exception to this rule, but an example of just how far the state will go to keep residents and visitors safe. When it comes to drunk drivers who are caught after the damage is done, Arizona aggravated DUI penalties ensure an offender is held fully accountable for their crime.

An Arizona aggravated DUI conviction is a felony and will remain on a criminal record for life. Not only will it affect opportunities such as college, jobs, and housing, it also means the offender lose basic rights such as voting or owning a firearm. In Arizona, a felony DUI can always be brought up again and used against you in the future. So, if you are charged with something else, the felony DUI can be used in court to increase the penalties for any subsequent felony conviction.

The circumstances that lead to an Arizona Aggravated DUI include the following:

1. The offender has had two previous DUI convictions within the last 7 years.
2. The offender is arrested for a DUI while their driver’s license is suspended, canceled, or revoked or they refused testing while there was a restriction on their license.
3. The was a minor under the age of 15 in the vehicle at the time of the DUI.
4. The offender was ordered to equip any vehicle they operate with an ignition interlock device.

Anyone convicted of an Arizona aggravated DUI is required to serve a mandatory four months in jail, though they can serve up to 7.5 years if they are repeat offenders, amongst other penalties. Arizona aggravated DUI penalties include fines, alcohol assessment, inpatient or outpatient treatment, community service, probation, suspension of license, and vehicle forfeiture or immobilization.

The aggravation over finding a safe ride home is nothing in comparison to how badly things can go when you drink and drive. Plan your night before you even leave, and rest assured (and in your own bed) that you are safe from any DUI disasters.

In New Mexico, underage drinking and binge drinking proliferate. New Mexico Underage DWIs are a serious problem, accounting for 15% of their DWI-related fatalities. As underage drivers make up only 10% of the entire driving population, these numbers are concerning, and New Mexico is combating it by levying harsher penalties for convictions.

The legal age for consuming alcohol in the United States was not always 21. While things like legal drinking age and maximum allowable blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels are the purview of the states, the federal government can put pressure on the states to do things their way. In 1971 many states lowered their legal drinking age to match the newly lowered voting age. However, due to groups like MADD, the federal government put financial pressure on the states to revert back to the 21-year-old legal drinking age in the 80s.

Riding that success, Congress pushed through the “Zero Tolerance Law” and pressured the states to comply with it. This law states that anyone under 21 found to be operating a vehicle with a BAC of .02% or more will be charged with an underage DWI. The number of drunk driving incidents among young drivers has decreased since the passage of this law.

A New Mexico Underage DWI can carry both administrative and criminal penalties. Administrative penalties do not require a conviction to be administered and include a six-month license suspension, which can be extended up to one year if you’re convicted of the DWI, followed by the required use of an ignition interlock device for one year, DWI school, and an alcohol assessment and treatment program. If convicted, you will also be subjected to criminal penalties such as fines, jail time, license suspension, community service, and alcohol abuse treatment or counseling.

If you are under the age of 21, it’s even more important that you don’t operate a motor vehicle after drinking. The New Mexico underage DWI penalties are harsh and unforgiving.

 

Missouri has zero tolerance for underage drinking, which is the law of the land across the U.S. However, for a Missouri underage DUI, the penalties can be much stricter than in other states. In particular, the state’s “abuse and lose” statute can create plenty of issues for a minor who is found guilty of drinking and driving. In fact, even a small amount of alcohol can be enough to affect their freedom to drive for many years.

The Missouri underage DUI laws say that any blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over .02 percent will result in a charge and/or conviction.

Under the Missouri Abuse and Lose statute, anyone under the age of 21 can have their license suspended for 90 days for a first offense underage DUI. A second offense will trigger a mandatory one-year license revocation. If the offender is not old enough for a driver’s license (under 16), the suspension period will not even start until they reach that age, or apply for a driver’s license.

Missouri Abuse and Lose also applies to:

• Possessing alcohol or using alcohol while driving a motor vehicle.
• ANY offense that involves using or possessing drugs.
• Any minor possessing false identification.

Additionally, a Missouri underage DUI carries a possible jail sentence and fines up to $1,000 (for a second offense). You may also have an ignition interlock requirement.

Driving is one of those milestones we all look forward to as we get older. Drinking is another milestone that many are excited to experience, too. However, just like obtaining a driver’s license at a legal age, your smartest route is to wait until you are 21 before you drink any alcohol. Losing your driver’s license is nothing in comparison to the destruction that drunk driving can bring. While you can be pretty certain you’ll regain your license in a year or so, not everything that happens as a result of a DUI can so easily be restored.

In West Virginia as in all 50 states in the U.S., the minimum age to consume alcoholic beverages is 21. Anyone under the age of 21 has a much harder road ahead if they are caught drinking. It also means there are stricter penalties for a West Virginia underage DUI than for those who are legally allowed to drink. Because being young and impressionable is still no excuse for breaking not one, but two (or more) laws while under the influence of alcohol.

A West Virginia DUI means you had even a trace blood alcohol concentration (BAC) percentage, that you were driving dangerously and obviously impaired by alcohol or drugs… or all of the above.

Penalties for a West Virginia underage DUI include:

• First-time conviction: up to six months in jail, up to $1,000 in fines, and a driver’s license suspension up to 45 days.
• Second conviction: up to a year in jail, up to $3,000 in fines, and a one-year driver’s license suspension.

That’s not all! There are plenty of other criminal charges you can face as an underage minor under the influence of alcohol, like distributing to minors, minor in possession, child endangerment, possessing a fake identification card and more. Alcohol is a factor in almost 40 percent of violent crimes, including murder, simple and sexual assault.

West Virginia does expunge some underage DUI convictions.

If your BAC was under .08 percent at the time of your arrest and if you successfully completed the West Virginia Alcohol Test and Lock Program (ATLP), your West Virginia underage DUI could be expunged. You cannot have any other violations pertaining to that DUI, your ignition interlock requirement, or any new alcohol-related incidents. An expunged DUI will still remain on your license as points, and could be used to determine penalties if you have any future DUI incidents.

Alcohol is the drug most commonly abused by teens nationwide. Underage drinking accounts for over 4,300 deaths a year and underage youth consume 11 percent of the alcohol sold in the US. Nationwide, underage drinking accounts for a disproportionate of alcohol-related traffic fatalities. That’s why many states have instituted a zero-tolerance law with severe penalties for offenders.

In the state of Mississippi, teen drivers make up 10 percent of licensed drivers but account for 13 percent of alcohol-related traffic fatalities. Mississippi has enacted a zero-tolerance law. If a teen is pulled over and has a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of over .02 percent, he or she will be charged with a Mississippi underage DUI. There are NO reduced penalties for a Mississippi underage DUI.

A first-offense Mississippi underage DUI will have the exact same punishments as a regular DUI that a person of legal age receives if they have a BAC of .08 percent. These penalties include:

• Imprisonment of up to 2 days.
• Attending alcohol/substance abuse assessment.
• Fines from $250 to $1100.
• License suspension 30 to 90 days.

A teen offender is also subject to other charges, such as distributing alcohol to minors, minor in possession, and moving and vehicle maintenance violations. In many cases, the offender will be ordered into the Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education Program (MASEP) and possibly be eligible for an expungement or DUI diversion. That may also mean an ignition interlock will be required on the vehicle driven by the underage DUI offender.

Parents should discuss alcohol abuse, drinking and driving, and the consequences of all of these things with their children. Also, parents make the best models for appropriate decisions with alcohol, including never driving under the influence. Opening the lines of communication can help discourage your teen from making costly mistakes that can change lives forever. And if they do make the choice to drink, let them know that they can call you for a no-questions-asked ride home so that they do not compound their mistake.

Last year, 13,510 Texas underage drunk driving crashes resulted in 535 fatalities and 1,355 serious injuries. Intoxicated drivers under the age of 21 are the only offenders that can be charged with driving under the influence (DUI), rather than driving while intoxicated (DWI). There are more differences between the two charges, like a DUI requires only that the underage driver’s blood alcohol concentration is above zero. ANY amount of alcohol detected by a breath test can result in a Texas underage DUI charge.

A Texas underage DUI can cost you big time, including up to $17,000 in court costs, fines, and associated expenses.

A Texas underage DUI can also affect a parent’s life, especially if a student’s license is suspended or revoked or if there is an ignition interlock requirement. For a first-time offense, the penalties include a maximum of 180 days in jail, a fine of up to $2,000, a Class C misdemeanor conviction and up to 90 days with a suspended license. Insurance rates may rise or the policy can be canceled. In the case of an ignition interlock device, anyone who drives the vehicle must use the device to remain in compliance with the court order.

Offenders can be charged with additional alcohol-related crimes, such as:

• Minor in possession.
• Child endangerment if other passengers are present and under the age of 18.
• Possession of false identification.
• Soliciting alcohol.

Any criminal conviction can affect your ability to enter into colleges and universities or secure housing or employment in the future. A DUI can stay on your criminal record for decades, and more and more places are running criminal background checks on applicants for a variety of reasons.

14% of DUI related fatalities in Texas are caused by underage minors. However, there really is no excuse for anyone to be out on the roads if they have been drinking. The risk of a criminal conviction and the whole financial impact of a Texas underage DUI should be enough to make you reconsider your evening plans.