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News DUI, DWI : Virginia Cracks Down on Underage Drinking and Driving prevent dui insurance
Statastics of Washington Regional show that DUI or DWI driving and auto accident resulting from this is the leading cause of death in the United States for 15 to 20 year-olds. In 2008, 31 percent of the teenage drivers who died in car accidents had been drinking. In 2009, Virginia police arrested over 1,000 people for underage driving under the influence. A teenager, young driver is injured in an alcohol-related auto accident every 16 hours in Virginia alone.
Virginia state lawmakers responded to the problem of underage DUI in February 2011 by passing a new bill. Starting July 1, 2011, Virginia’s “zero-tolerance” policy for underage drinking and driving will have increased penalties.
New Regulations and rules for DUI, drunk driving or DWI which are applicable- this will lead to less dui insurance, hopefully.
Before the new law went into effect on July 1, 2011, underage drinking and driving did not get mean going behind the bars. The penatly was only 6 months and fine of $500 and in some cases completion of Alcohol Safety Action Program (ASAP).
“Changes to the Law
After the new law goes into effect on July 1, 2011, the penalties for underage DUI will mirror those for underage consumption or possession in Virginia. Those under the age of 21 years found guilty of driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .02 or higher will have a class one misdemeanor on their records. A one-year driver’s license suspension is now mandatory for those convicted of underage DUI, in addition to either a $500 fine or 50 hours of community service. Supporters of the law hope that the mandatory one year license suspension puts teeth in the law, since a driver’s license represents freedom for so many young people.
Virginia’s law is a zero-tolerance law and a BAC of .02 qualifies as “under the influence” for anyone under the age of 21 years old, even though people over 21 years old are not under the influence unless they have a BAC of .08 or higher. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a person weighing 120 pounds can reach a .02 BAC by having one drink an hour.
In passing the new legislation, lawmakers reinstated the previous penalties for underage DUI that expired in 2008 in a sunset provision. Advocates of the new law argue that it eliminates the mixed message that the Virginia Code was sending Virginia teenagers by making possessing alcohol a more serious offense that driving after drinking.
Virginia legislators have proposed similar legislation in the past but the bills died because some believed that criminalizing a status offense would result in Virginia losing federal grant money for violating the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. In this case, the law would treat drivers differently for having .02 to .08 BAC if they were under 21 years old than if they were over 21 years old. However, federal officials assured Virginia legislators that it would not be a problem for the state to crack down on underage DUI. After receiving that confirmation from the federal government, Virginia lawmakers passed the bill unanimously.
Advocacy groups support the new legislation as a positive step in eliminating the problem of underage DUI. Program manager for the Virginia branch of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Christopher Konschak said that he hopes the new law will make teenagers consider the choices they make with respect to alcohol and driving. ” from Insurance News.
Checks on drunk driving for young drivers would cetainly prevent teen auto accidents and reduce dui insurance cases?
This is something which probably most other states would be doing, Canada- Ontario has already done this. This would also reduce the dui insurance cases and even the expensive teen auto insurances. Ofcourse you can go ahead and get more information on dui insurance.
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