Juvenile DUI Convictions Carry Harsh Punishment
By: Nick Messel Lawl Jul 25, 2010
There has been a trend in recent years that shows many DUI arrests are the result of underage drinking and driving. More and more teenage children are deciding to drink alcohol before they climb into their motor vehicle. Alcohol and driving can be a fatal mixture that can lead to a great deal of harm being done either to the person driving the car or an innocent human being driving another car. There is a zero tolerance policy for anyone under the age of 21 who is found to be intoxicated when they are behind the steering wheel, and the laws are being enforced more vehemently now than ever before.
In 2007, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conducted a study in which it was shown that 28 percent of all juvenile crashes in the United States were a direct result of the teenager being intoxicated. Of that number, 64 percent were found to not be wearing their safety belt. Once you begin to drink, your inhibitions quickly begin to dissolve, which means that you are not at the right mental capacity to make decisions as they relate to operating a motor vehicle. The NHTSA also found that 40 percent of all fatalities that were related to alcohol could be traced back to juvenile drinking and driving. The new found thrill of having a driver's license and being able to go wherever you want is sometimes taken for granted by some teenagers, which can result in poor decisions like driving under the influence.
Another interesting element to this story is the fact that peer pressure amongst juveniles is usually higher and plays a bigger role in the actions of any teenager. When kids drink with their friends, elevated levels of peer pressure can formulate into daring a person to drive a vehicle. This can only lead to a great deal of destruction that, ultimately, will mean either jail time or a probationary period for the teen. Either way, most states do not remove DUI arrests from your record at any time, so the DUI that you got when you were 16 could still come back to haunt you when you are 45.
If your child has found themselves in one of those awkward situations where they are being tried for a DUI arrest, you will undoubtedly need the professional advice of a good criminal attorney who will help you through the entire process. Prosecuting attorneys are usually not very lenient when it comes to driving under the influence cases whether you are an adult or a child. In order to have your rights fully represented in the matter, you will want to hire a criminal lawyer who has a great deal of experience with these types of cases, as they can usually be difficult to try from the defense's standpoint.
DUI attorneys do a fantastic job at making sure that all of your personal rights are adhered to while getting you a fair trial in the courtroom. A good criminal lawyer will diligently help you prepare a case to argue and support your child throughout the entire process. It is important that you only hire reputable a reputable, well-established criminal attorney, as there are many intricacies that are involved with this type of case. Juvenile DUI is a serious matter, and it should be handled in a professional way by a competent DUI attorney.
(ArticlesBase SC #2894701)