As you celebrate the new year, please keep in mind that there are severe consequences for drinking and driving.
Michigan’s drunk driving standard is .08 blood-alcohol content (BAC).
A first-time offender convicted of drunk driving faces:
Up to 93 days in jail
Up to a $500 fine
Up to 360 hours of community service
Up to 6 points on a driver’s license
Up to 180 days with a suspended license, with a restricted license possible after 30 days.
Convicted drunk drivers will also be subject to a $1,000 penalty that is included in the state's driver responsibility program. The $1,000 penalty will be imposed for two consecutive years.
Drivers may still be arrested and charged with impaired driving, however, the law no longer has a blood alcohol content associated with impaired. Anything less than .08 BAC is considered impaired. Those convicted of impaired driving face an additional $500 penalty through the state's driver responsibility program (which is assessed for two consecutive years).
The law also contains a zero tolerance for drivers with certain illegal drugs in their system. These "schedule 1" drugs are those with no medicinal use, such as marijuana, GHB, cocaine and cocaine-derivative drugs. Under the law, prosecutors will not have to prove the driver was impaired, just that they were driving with those drugs in their system. The same penalties for drunk driving will apply to those convicted under the zero-tolerance drug provisions.
Anyone who refuses a breath test the first time is given a one-year driver’s license suspension. For a second refusal in seven years, it is a two-year suspension.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
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