What Happens When You Get a DUI

Any license penalties imposed for DUI will be separate from those imposed for refusing a chemical test. The information provided in this article is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. If you have been charged with a DUI or require guidance on personal injury matters arising from a DUI incident, please consult with a qualified personal injury attorney in Nevada. Copyright ©2025 MH Sub I, LLC dba Nolo ® Self-help services may not be permitted in all states. The information provided on this site is not legal advice, does not constitute a lawyer referral service, and no attorney-client or confidential relationship is or will be formed by use of the site.

• In general, child protective services investigates any reasonable allegation of child abuse or neglect.
• Increasingly, officers utilize data-driven approaches to identify patterns and high-risk areas where incidents involving drunk drivers are more prevalent.
• In the DOT study, researchers interviewed 581 people who admitted to drinking and driving and asked them about the decisions that led to the choice to get behind the wheel.
• However, many don’t recognize this as a danger and don’t realize how few drinks it takes to impair or legally intoxicate a person.

Getting Treatment for an Alcohol Problem

In other jurisdictions, a jail sentence will be left to the judge’s reasonable discretion. The legal penalties for alcohol-related vehicular manslaughter are steep – in many states, prison sentences can be as long as 20 or 30 years. In Alaska, an airman with consequences of drinking and driving a BAC of 0.20 faced 99 years in prison for killing a woman in a fatal accident; he was sentenced to a maximum of 30 years. Of course, a prison sentence doesn’t compare with the outcome for victims who lost their lives.

Inpatient Rehabilitation Programs

Most States have established a BAC of 0.08 percent as the legal level of intoxication. DUI classes are based largely on the premise that drivers who know better drive better. A judge may order a person convicted of a DUI to attend DUI classes as part of an agreement to reduce the time of the driver’s license suspension or as a condition of probation. In some states, even if the judge does not order DUI education classes, the DMV may require them. States commonly require even first-time offenders to complete DUI education before their licenses can be reinstated.

Blackout Drunk: Signs, Effects, and How to Stop It

Stricter laws and enforcement strategies are crucial for preventing drunk driving. Measures such as sobriety checkpoints, enhanced penalties, and increased police presence can deter individuals from driving under the influence. Individuals involved in drunk driving accidents often suffer severe physical injuries. These can range from minor bruises to life-threatening conditions such as traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and multiple fractures. Let your friends, family, and children know that it’s never okay to get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle after drinking alcohol and that getting in a car with someone under the influence is just as dangerous.

Alcohol and Cancer Risk

Outpatient rehabilitation programs offer similar treatments as inpatient rehab. Detoxification, or detox for short, is removing alcohol from your system while managing withdrawal symptoms. While the liver breaks down alcohol, it also affects essential neurotransmitters in the brain. From there, enzymes in your liver break down about 95 percent of the alcohol you consume. Your body eliminates the remaining five percent through breath, sweat, or urine.

• Drinking and driving is far more than a momentary lapse in judgment—it is a decision that alters lives, devastates families, and imperils entire communities.
• Beyond the immediate physical, legal, and emotional consequences, drinking and driving impose significant socioeconomic burdens on communities and the nation.
• All states have laws setting minimum and maximum fines for drunk driving, but those penalties can be enhanced by other circumstances.
• You can still be arrested based on other evidence, such as your behavior or the results of a field sobriety test.
• According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the average cost of a DUI can exceed $10,000.

• High-profile DUI cases often spark widespread anxiety over local road safety, contributing to an atmosphere of fear and distrust.
• Economically, drunk driving leads to increased healthcare costs, legal fees, and property damage.
• Even a first-time offense can cost more than $10,000 in fines and legal fees.
• Even if you are not sentenced to any jail time for your DUI conviction, you will probably be given a probation sentence, the terms of which are determined by the sentencing judge.

Often, a sentence for alcoholism treatment a DUI conviction will include alcohol abuse treatment or education programs. A program of this nature may serve to treat alcohol abuse or may assess you for alcoholism. Sometimes, for a first offense, this is the primary penalty along with probation and license suspension, but it may be combined with other requirements like community service and restitution for victims. Fines and costs can range from $500-$2,000 or more, depending on the state, even for a first offense. You may be required to install an ignition interlock device (IID) at your own expense.

Health Canada

If the custodial parent opposes the noncustodial parent’s challenges, the court process can be expensive, lengthy, and stressful. During DUI proceedings, the court may learn facts about the custodial parent that result in a referral to the local child protection agency. If the children were present at the time of the intoxicated driving, the DUI charge may escalate to aggravated DUI, and there may be additional charges of child endangerment, child abuse, and/or child cruelty. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that nearly 88 percent of those aged 18 and older have consumed alcohol at least once in their lifetime, and about 57 percent have had an alcoholic beverage in the past month. Every 53 minutes, a person in the United States dies in an alcohol-related traffic accident.