If you`re charged with driving under the influence of alcohol in Pennsylvania, you`re probably wondering what the penalties and consequences are. Pennsylvania has a three-tier system that divides the punishment for drunk driving into three levels based on the percentage of blood alcohol in a motorist`s system, as well as their previous offenses. Even if a teenager drinks in your home, they are not allowed to consume alcohol. Adults who knowingly allow a minor to drink alcohol are liable to a fine of $1,000 for a first offence and a fine of $2,500 for subsequent offences. Although you need a blood alcohol level of 0.02% or higher to get a DUI, you can be charged with drinking minors for possession of alcohol, even if you didn`t drink any. For minors who drink, you can expect fines of up to $500 and a 90-day licence ban, whether or not you have driven under the influence of alcohol. In the event of a subsequent offence, the suspension of a driver`s licence is extended to one year and, in the case of a third offence, to two years. The legal limit in Pennsylvania is a blood alcohol level of 0.08. If breathalyzer, blood or urine tests show that your blood alcohol level is at this or above, you could be charged with impaired driving.

Pennsylvania has set a blood alcohol level of 0.08% as the legal limit for an impaired driving (DUI) conviction. Professional drivers can be convicted of drunk driving nationwide with a blood alcohol level of 0.04%. You can be convicted of impaired driving at 0.05% or more if there is evidence of incapacitated driving. While most states have similar laws when it comes to legal limits on blood alcohol levels, many states have subtle and not-so-subtle deviations when it comes to their drinking laws. Pennsylvania lawmakers took a tiered approach to combating driving under the influence, introducing three different categories of DUI in the early 2000s. Each of these categories focuses on the treatment and punishment of offenders. The last and heaviest blood alcohol level in Pennsylvania is aptly called the « highest blood alcohol level » and corresponds to blood alcohol readings of 0.16% or higher. Drivers at this level face licence suspensions, regardless of their history of impaired driving. Drivers with a clean driving record will receive a 12-month ban, and drivers with one or more DUIs will face an 18-month licence ban. Drivers without prior drunk driving are also subject to a fine of $1,000 to $5,000, up to six months in jail, safety school and possible treatment. For drivers without a flawless driving record, she expects a one-year ignition lock as well as a first-degree offense charge. Drivers who have already committed offences are also subject to fines of up to $10,000, with a minimum penalty of $2,500 for a driver who has ever been impaired twice or more impaired.

The prison sentence at this level ends with a five-year prison sentence. The police may check you for signs of poisoning, such as a reddened face, slurred speech, or breath that smells of alcohol. If they have reason to believe you`ve been drinking, they`ll likely ask you to take a field sobriety test. This is a test of your mental and physical abilities to determine if you are intoxicated. Under Pennsylvania common law, adults who serve alcohol at private events are « social hosts. » If a social host serves alcohol to a minor and the minor is injured or the minor injures another person due to poisoning, the social host may be required to pay damages to the injured person. The social host`s responsibility only applies to adults who serve alcohol to minors. Pennsylvania law states that adults are responsible for the consequences of their own alcohol consumption. Under Dram Shop, a licensed liquor outlet can be held liable for injuries caused by intoxication when the establishment serves alcohol to a visible drunk or minor. Pennsylvania law takes into account the last 10 years of your driving history to determine the second, third, fourth and subsequent ones. Have you been charged with impaired driving while driving in Pennsylvania? It may be helpful to consult with a DUI lawyer who can help you navigate the process. Depending on whether this was your first crime or not, contact us today if you want to know how asking for a lawyer could be helpful to your case. In Pennsylvania, a person who chooses limited tort liability over total tort in an auto insurance policy waives the right to sue in most cases for pain and suffering caused by another driver.

However, a conviction for impaired driving is an exception to this rule. If a limited indemnity policyholder is injured by a drunk driver and the drunk driver is subsequently convicted of impaired driving, the victim can sue for pain and suffering. A victim may also bring an action for damages without conviction for impaired driving if the victim dies, suffers from a severe physical impairment or permanent severe disfigurement.