The state of Pennsylvania classifies domestic drivers who have a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 or higher as under the influence. Any driver operating a school bus or who is under the legal drinking age which registers 0.02 on a breathalyzer test is also arrested for DUI. This legal limit for commercial drivers is 0.04. The state imposes penalties for these violations based on its own grading system and classifications. Any driver facing these charges should hire a Criminal Attorney in Wyomissing PA.
Penalties and Stipulations for DUI in Pennsylvania
As the law stands, today, first-time offenders whose blood-alcohol content does not exceed 0.10 is not penalized with a license suspension. They receive fines of at least $300; the driver is placed on six-months probation. They are further required to undergo alcohol or drug treatment as stipulated by the judge. Traffic school and one-hundred fifty hours of community-based service are also required. However, a first-time offense, in which this limit was exceeded, holds penalties based on two or more convictions. This imposes a one-year to eighteen-month suspension.
Second DUI offenses impose no less than five days in county lock-up. Fines for this violation begin at $300 with a maximum of $2,500. The offender is subject to the same stipulations as the first-time offender, including treatment in a state-approved program. If he or she receives a third offense within a five-year period, they receive ten days in jail with fines that extend up to $5,000. In Pennsylvania, a third conviction implies that the driver is a habitual offender, and a five-year license suspension is rendered.
Convictions based on a higher blood-alcohol content that exceeds 0.10 but is below 0.16 increases each charge by one conviction. However, with third and fourth convictions, the driver receives fines of no less than $750 with a maximum of $10,000. Jail sentences for these charges range from ninety days to one year.
Any driver whose blood-alcohol content exceeds 0.16 or who caused bodily harm in an accident may face a prison sentence in Pennsylvania. The probable sentence ranges between two days to one year in a state-approved prison. Fines for these offenses range from $500 to $10,000 based on the nature of the injuries. Drivers facing these charges are advised to seek counsel through a Criminal Attorney in Wyomissing PA. Contact attorney Sodomsky & Nigrini.
