When you are convicted of DUI, the effects are far-reaching. Depending on your blood alcohol content and whether you have any prior DUI offenses, your penalties can include anything from the loss of your driver’s license, to fines, to months or even years in jail. However the impact doesn’t stop there. Your insurance rates will potentially triple and you will be burdened with a criminal record.
Pennsylvania’s Three-Tier System
The legal limit in Pennsylvania is .08 BAC. If breathalyzer, blood or urine tests show you to allegedly be at that level or higher, you will be charged with DUI.
First tier (BAC of .08 to .099) with no prior offenses:
- $300 fine
- Up to six months of probation
- Alcohol highway safety school
- You may be required to take a court-ordered treatment program
First tier (BAC of .08 to .099), second offense:
- Five days to six months in jail
- $300 to $2,500 fine
- One year license suspension
- Ignition interlock on your vehicle for one year
First tier (BAC of .08 to .099), third offense:
- 10 days to two years in jail
- $500 to $5,000 fine
- One year license suspension
- Ignition interlock on your vehicle for one year
- You may be required to take a court-ordered treatment program
Second tier (BAC of .10 to .159), first offense:
- Two days to six months in jail
- $500 to $5,000 in fines
- One year license suspension
- Alcohol highway safety school
- Ignition interlock on your vehicle for one year
- You may be required to take a court-ordered treatment program
Second tier (BAC of .10 to .159), second offense:
- 30 days to six months in jail
- $750 to $5,000 fine
- One year license suspension
- Alcohol highway safety school
- Ignition interlock on your vehicle for one year
- You may be required to take a court-ordered treatment program
Second tier (BAC of .10 to .159), third offense:
- 90 days to five years in jail
- $1,500 to $10,000 fine
- 18 month license suspension
- Ignition interlock on your vehicle for one year
- You may be required to take a court-ordered treatment program
Third tier (BAC of .16 or more), first offense:
- Three days to six months in jail
- $1,000 to $5,000 fine
- One year license suspension
- Alcohol highway safety school
- Ignition interlock on your vehicle for one year
- You may be required to take a court-ordered treatment program
Third tier (BAC of .16 or more), second offense:
- 90 days to five years in jail
- $1,500 to $10,000 fine
- 18 month license suspension
- Alcohol highway safety school
- Ignition interlock on your vehicle for one year
- You may be required to take a court-ordered treatment program
Third tier (BAC of .16 or more), third offense:
- One to five years in jail
- $2,500 to $10,000 fine
- 18 month license suspension
- Ignition interlock on your vehicle for one year
- You may be required to take a court-ordered treatment program
Higher Insurance Rates
With a DUI on your record, your car insurance rates will likely shoot up and they will stay high for years. Many times your premiums will triple. Some insurance companies will even drop motorists who have been convicted of a DUI.
The Complications of a Criminal Record
Having a criminal record is another devastating consequence of a DUI conviction. You will feel the negative repercussions in many areas of your life.
In this competitive job market, when a potential employer runs a background check and sees your conviction it may be the tipping point that causes them to hire another candidate. It can also weight against you with potential landlords and college admissions officers as well as others who can make decisions that affect your future.
What Pennsylvania Law Says About DUI
In Pennsylvania it is illegal to:
- drive after imbibing a sufficient amount of alcohol such that you are incapable of safely driving, operating or being in actual physical control of the movement of the vehicle, or
- drive a vehicle after imbibing a sufficient amount of alcohol such that the alcohol concentration in your blood or breath is at least 0.08% within two hours after you have driven, or
- drive a vehicle with any amount of a Schedule I, II, or III controlled substance in your blood.
Pennsylvania law will take into account the last 10 years of your driving history to determine if this is your second DUI.
Questions? Contact me.
Your rights are at stake and you need the best defense to keep them. I will fight using the strongest defense available to get your DUI charge reduced or dismissed so you can move on with your life.
