Highlighting the Serious Consequences of Alabama DUI Arrests and Convictions
According to information from the US DOT, Alabama is home to the fifth highest rate of DUI arrests in the entirety of the United States – outpacing 45 other states and making DUI issues a huge priority for the state government as well as state and local police departments, potentially leading to a greater increase in auto accidents, believes Roseville Motorcycle Accident Attorneys.
Anyone driving a vehicle aged 21 or older will be considered to be legally drunk if their blood alcohol level hits 0.08% BAC or higher when administered a breathalyzer test.
Commercial vehicle drivers, however, are legally considered to be drunk if their BAC level is 0.04% (half of the BAC of noncommercial drivers), with school bus and daycare drivers as well as individuals under the age of 21 found to be legally drunk if their BAC level is greater than 0.02%.
First-time offenders are going to face some pretty stiff penalties that can include jail time for up to 12 months, fines that range from between $600-$2100 – or even both jail time and a fine.
First-time DUI offenders are also going to lose their license for 90 days as a mandatory punishment, and will only be able to get their license back after they have successfully completed either a substance abuse program or a DUI class recognized by the state of Alabama.
These kinds of punishments are anything but a slap on the rest but they get even worse if you are a repeat offender.
Individuals that are charged with their second DUI inside of five years of their first DUI offense are going to face prison time of up to 12 months that can include hard labor, much harsher than California. This imprisonment sentence is going to be 100% mandatory as well, and cannot be suspended or wiped away with probation. The fines for a second offense climb significantly as well, ranging from between $1100 and $5100.
Second time DUI offenders will lose their driver’s license for one year as a mandatory penalty, too.
Third time DUI offenders are going to face prison that will almost inevitably include hard labor, most often for a term of 12 months, even more if someone is injured, according to car accident lawyer Oceanside CA. There’s a mandatory 60 day imprisonment sentence with a third DUI charge, too. Financial penalties will be assessed at between $2100 and 10,000 and $100 and individuals will lose their license for at least three years.
Fourth (and all subsequent) DUI charges are going to find individuals facing a prison term of at least one year and all the way up to 10 years. Financial penalties range from between $4100 and $10,100 on top of that jail time, and driving privileges in the state of Alabama will be revoked for at least five years.
On top of all of those penalties, individuals that have a DUI conviction in the state of Alabama will never be able to expunge that conviction from their permanent record. This black mark is going to remain on their record forever, regardless of whether or not it was a misdemeanor or felony charge, and will follow individuals from state to state for the rest of their lives.