"Do not be fooled:

Law Enforcement Officers, Prosecutors and Judges are not looking out for your best interests when you are charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI). These people are under tremendous pressure from their superiors to make more arrests, get more convictions and hand out stiffer sentences. An offense that may have been overlooked a few years ago may be zealously prosecuted in today's world. Any time you, a friend or a loved one is charged with DUI, you must take it very seriously!

When you are charged with DUI, or convicted, you are at risk for any or even all of these outcomes:

1. Jail time

2. Criminal record

3. Loss of driver’s license

4. Possible loss of your job

5. Large fines

6. Increased insurance rates

7. Required dependency treatment

8. Points against your drivers license

9. Drivers license surcharges

10. Other punishments that result from a DUI charge or conviction

Pennsylvania DUI Penalties

Implied Consent Laws: Laws demand drivers assumed of driving under the influence to concede to breath, blood, or urine testing for alcohol content are known as ""implied consent laws."" Rebuttal carries penalties that can include mandatory suspension of a driving license for up to a year.

Blood-Alcohol Concentration: In Pennsylvania, any driver with a blood-alcohol absorption - or BAC - above .08 percent is measured "per se intoxicated" under the law. Under this statute, this evidence is all that is required for a driver to be convicted of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) or Driving While Intoxicated (DWI).

Zero Tolerance Blood-Alcohol Concentration: In all states, "zero tolerance laws" focal point on drivers not of legal drinking age. In Pennsylvania, persons under the age of 21 operating a car with a .02 percent blood-alcohol level or higher than are subject to DUI penalties.

Enhanced Penalty Blood-Alcohol Concentration: In some states there is a more severe punishment for those convicted of DUI with a for the most part high blood-alcohol content at the point in time of arrest; this is commonly .15 to .20 percent above the legal limit. Enhanced penalty laws are not utilized in Pennsylvania.

Administrative License Suspension/Revocation Penalties: These penalties are minimum mandatory penalties obligatory on drivers with a blood-alcohol concentration above Pennsylvania’s maximum tolerable level of .08 percent or drivers subject to the implied consent laws (see above) for refusing to submit to breath, blood, or urine testing for blood-alcohol content. Penalties involve suspension or revocation (meaning transitory or permanent removal) of the driver’s license by the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). In Pennsylvania, for the foremost DUI offense the mandatory suspension is 90 days; for the second offense, one year; for the third offense, three years.

Vehicle Confiscation: The penalty of vehicle confiscation for DUI conviction – either everlastingly or temporarily - is a risk in some states, typically for repeat offenders. This is not a penalty option in Pennsylvania.

Ignition Interlock: An ignition interlock device attaches to the condemned DUI offender’s motor vehicle and requires the driver to complete a breath-test before the vehicle will start. While this penalty for DUI conviction is a option in some states, this is not an option in Pennsylvania.

Mandatory Alcohol Education and Assessment/Treatment: Alcohol tutoring and prevention program, treatment for alcohol abuse, and judgment of a person for possible alcohol or drug craving can be required for DUI offenders in Pennsylvania. These steps are often recommended instead of serving a sentence of incarceration or paying fines.

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