There are going to be quite a few DUI Checkpoints throughout Central PA. This is a national DUI crackdown called Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. There will be roving DUI patrols, as well as checkpoints throughout the area.
53, 317 people were arrested in 2012 in Pennsylvania. Last year, according to PennDOT, 125 impaired driving crashes occurred resulting in eight fatalities. These fatalities could have been avoided simply by having a designated driver.
PA is seeing more and more drugged driving charges also. Of the 56, 317 DUI arrests last year, 17,064 (or 30%) were drugged driving charges. According to Stephen Erni, the executive director of PA DUI Association, the penalty for a conviction of drugged driving is equivalent to being convicted of the highest level of alcohol impairment.
Pennsylvania DUI Laws
Many people may think that Driving Under the Influence is not a big deal. However, in PA, it is. When convicted or found guilty of a DUI, you are facing a mandatory suspension of your driver’s license, potential jail time (the length of which is determined by the facts of your case), probation and fines and court costs.
If you are charged with a DUI, your Blood Alcohol Content will determine which “tier” you are in. These tiers are the deciding factor in how long your license suspension and potential jail time may be. The higher your BAC, the longer the suspension and jail time.
People who have not been previously convicted of a DUI or any other crime, may apply for the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program, or ARD for short. This program avoids jail time and shortens license suspension. However, ARD is not guaranteed. It must be applied for and granted by the court.
If you have been arrested for a DUI in Central Pennsylvania, call Coover & Associates! Mike Coover has helped countless people charged with drunk and/or drugged driving throughout Central Pennsylvania.