What Is The Punishment For Drunk Driving?

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What Is The Punishment For Drunk Driving?

In Virginia, a DUI is a Class 1 misdemeanor. The maximum punishment for a first offense is a $2,500 fine, one year in jail, and the loss of one's driving privileges for one year. Generally, firsttime offenders with blood alcohol levels below 0.12, who did not cause an accident, will not go to jail. Instead, the Judge will usually suspend all of the jail time he orders. This means that he will order a Defendant to serve some time (usually 30 days) in jail but, assuming the Defendant maintains generally good behavior and obeys all court orders for one year, he will not have to actually sit in jail. Thus, the sentence becomes unsupervised probation. The usual fine for a DUI is $300. Additionally, all persons convicted of DUI are, by law, required to lose their driving privileges for one year. The Judge no longer has discretion over this punishment. However, he may order restricted driving privileges which would allow one to drive to and from work. And, all persons convicted of DUI must enter the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program (VASAP), a drunk driving program. This program costs $300. Of course, since every Judge is different, the punishments could vary dramatically. However, the above punishment seems to be the most common. Whenever one is convicted of DUI with a blood alcohol level of 0.20 or more, the law requires a mandatory jail sentence. This is true even for first offenses.

Other Virginia Drunk Driving Defense FAQs

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A: Generally, prosecutors prove a DUI case under three methods. The first and easiest method for the Prosecutor to convict a person is by showing … More
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Q: Why Did I Lose My License For 7 Days, I Thought It Was "innocent Until Proven Guilty"?
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