Under 21 and caught for MA DUI
Posted by Jason Chan on Tue, Feb 22, 2011 @ 11:16 AM
Photo of wine glass taken by polandeze/Andrew website
It is no surprise that people under the age of 21 drink. Massachusetts has many colleges and universities and most if not all of them have tried to tackle the problem of underage drinking. Some of these underage individuals drive after drinking and when they get arrested for a DUI it is a serious problem.
Aside from the legal consequences, the license effects of a DUI can be devastating for people under 21. If the underage DUI suspect takes the breathalyzer and fail, then the underage individual’s license is suspended for 180 days. This may be shortened in certain circumstances for underage DUI suspects.
The other issue is that the amount of time that an underage DUI suspect’s license will be suspended will be longer then for a person who is 21 or older. For a normal DUI, a person’s license would be suspended for 1 year and can be reduced to 45 days. If the DUI suspect is underage, the person’s license would be suspended for 210 days if the underage person pleads to the case.
Finally, if the underage DUI suspect pleads to the case and has a blood alcohol level that is .02 or above then there are additional requirements. The DUI blood alcohol limit in Massachusetts is .08 or above. However, if the DUI suspect is under the age of 21 and the DUI suspect’s blood alcohol level is .02 or higher the DUI suspect will face additional requirements. If you are under the age of 21 it is very important that you don’t get pulled over for a DUI. Because if you choose to drink and drive, aside from the legal consequences, it may be a long time before you are allowed to drive again.
DUI Penalties
DUI Defendants 18-21
DUI Defendants under 18