If you are 21 years of age or older, and your blood alcohol level is 0.08 % BAC you are considered over the legal limit for driving a vehicle. If you are less than 21, your blood level cannot be 0.02 % BAC or greater. If your BAC is beyond the legal limit and you are behind the wheel of a vehicle, it does not matter what age you are. In Ohio, once you go beyond the legal limit, the law considers you to be driving under the influence (DUI) (or operating a vehicle while intoxicated or impaired (OVI)). Moreover, in Ohio, an officer can arrest you without actual proof of a specific degree of intoxication. If you are from Cincinnati, a DUI lawyer will become a necessity if a law agent catches and charges you.
Factors Affecting Penalties for a DUI in Cincinnati
If you are charged with a DUI in the state of Ohio, you face severe consequences. However, what exactly will comprise the penalties for this crime depends on several factors. These include the number of times you have been arrested on a DUI. Penalties vary whether it is it your first, second, third or more DUI or OVI offense? Age may also be factored into the equation. To see whether any other factors can have an impact on the potential penalties, you will need to get in touch with a Cincinnati DUI lawyer.
Basic Effects of a DUI
When it comes to a DUI, the first time has the least consequences. A first time offender faces:
- An automatic license suspension lasting from 6 months to 3 years
- Jail time lasting a minimum of 3 days OR required attendance at a driver intervention program
- Fines ranging from $375 and $1,075
- License plates may be impounded
- The vehicle may be immobilized or seized
- Possible impounding of license plates
- Possible immobilization or seizure of vehicle
The state authorities may also decide to impose other measures in addition to those listed above. These may include enforced participation in a drug/alcohol rehab program, the installation of an ignition interlock device and/or restricted license plates.
Insurance will also become an issue. Your original insurer will probably drop you. You will then have to find someone else to cover you. After searching, you may be able to find someone who will offer you coverage. Yet, the rates you will now have to pay will be exceedingly higher than those in effect prior to your arrest for a DUI. This, of course, says nothing of the impact a DUI may have upon your family, friends and employment.
The only way to mitigate the potential negative effects of a DUI in Ohio is to take aggressive action. You will need to hire an experienced and knowledgeable Cincinnati DUI lawyer. Through his or her guidance and legal expertise, you may be able to reduce the severity of the impact.
