When it comes to driving under the influence, all of America’s states prohibit blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08% percent or more. However while all states do impose penalties for the same kind of violations, each one of them follows its own state-specific rules in enforcing them. For the state of Virginia, they outline penalties for first, second, third, and fourth offenses. Subsequent convictions after the fourth offense for DUI are crafted by the court on a case to case basis.
Of course, drivers under the age of 21 are legally restricted from being able to consume alcohol. A BAC level .02 to .08 will trigger a class one misdemeanor in Virginia where it imposes a fine that is at least $500 or more, as well as 50 hour’s worth of mandatory community service. In addition to that, a six month suspension of the driver’s license, in addition to possible jail time. Underage drivers having been caught with a BAC of .08 or above means that they be required to face the same charges as older drivers.
The first of DUI offense for those who are legally old enough to drink is punishable with a fine of $250, and at the same time suspending their license for a year. Anyone caught under the influence with a BAC of .15 to .19, the law of the state imposes a mandatory jail sentence of 5 days, while if you go higher and exceed BAC levels of .20 or more, a sentence of 20 days is imposed. If a second offense comes less than five years after the first one, it will come with a jail sentence of not more than a year, but not less than a month. He will also face a fine of $500 as well as a mandatory 20 days in jail. However, if the second offense follows in the five to ten year range, then a 10 day sentence is required and up to one month, as well as possibly having their licenses suspended for up to three years.
Third and fourth-time offenders find themselves committing a class 6 felony that requires a fine of at least $1,000. Their license is suspended indefinitely and must remain on probation until they can get it reinstated. A third conviction requires at least ninety days in jail while a fourth offense will have you sitting in a jail cell for at least a year. However for third offenders, if all incidents were documented within a five year period, then the minimum sentence for that is six months.
After a DUI conviction, getting SR-22 insurance is a requirement if you want to even start driving again. In the world of insurance, SR-22 classifies you as high risk, and you consequently pay more for your insurance. Insurance companies will understandably frown at having high risk so you might have a difficult time looking for a good SR-22 policy. It would be especially detrimental if you signed up for such a policy for a much higher rate than is considered normal if with the wrong kind of insurer.
