Few people are aware that Florida DUI laws are different for people who are under age 21. What your son or daughter doesn’t know can hurt them.
In Florida the legal limit for a driver under age 21 is 0.02 percent BAC (blood alcohol content). This is far lower than the legal limit for an adult, which is 0.08 percent. For a teenager, consuming a single mixed drink or can of beer can put him or her over the legal limit.
While the legal limit is much lower for a teenager or young adult than it is for an adult, your child can face adult consequences if he or she is convicted. Those consequences include:
- Driver’s license suspension
- Thousands of dollars in fines and other costs
- The requirement to take costly DUI education classes
- Sanctions from your child’s school or college
- A criminal record that cannot be sealed
Given consequences like these, it’s important to talk to your child about underage DUI. Few teenagers and young adults are aware that DUI laws are different for those under the age of 21. Admitting to having a single drink when pulled over by police is enough to get your child arrested for driving under the influence.
If your child has been charged with underage DUI, seek prompt advice from an attorney who handles DUI cases regularly. Attorneys who practice in other areas of law would not be familiar with the defenses available to people charged with DUI.