Learn More About Virginia DUI Records

Operating any motor vehicle while intoxicated is an offense under the laws of the state of Virginia, United States of America. The act of driving any motor vehicle when your physical and mental abilities are impaired by the intake of alcohol or drugs or both in referred to as DUI or driving under influence. Virginia DUI laws have undergone many changes in the recent years.

Virginia DUI Records

Virginia DUI records are maintained by the Department of Motor Vehicles, Virginia. You may record for your own DUI records online by visiting the official website of Virginia DMV. For this copy the link https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/dmvnet/common/pin_option_ques.asp. Accessing your own record will help you in a number of ways. You may want to correct your records or request for a driver’s license renewal form.

Virginia DUI Laws

The Virginia Senate Bill 889”, approved in March 27, 2009, declares that driving any motor vehicle without the ignition interlock device installed in the vehicle is prohibited in cases where such an act is considered as a class 1 misdemeanor. The driver’s license of any individual violating this will be revoked for a period of one year. To read the bill in detail, visit http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?091+ful+CHAP0255.

The Virginia Senate Bill 1463” which too was approved in March 27, 2009, says that for any person whose driver’s license was revoked for three years after a second DUI conviction in Virginia, must install an ignition interlock device prior to restoring his or her license. This holds for any offender convicted for a second time and not just those who are convicted within ten years of committing the first offense. For broader knowledge on this, you may read the bill on the Internet by copying the link http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?091+ful+CHAP0295.

The Virginia House Bill 1693”, modified in March 27, 2009, states the laws regarding the blood tests, the test of alcohol concentration in the blood stream and the inclusion of the test results as an evidence in the prosecution of a DUI case. Read the bill by copying http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?091+ful+CHAP0229 and know more about it.

The Virginia House Bill 2532” entitles a location which has passed an “enabling ordinance” to restitution from a DUI convicted individual. For further information on this, read the bill by visiting the link http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?091+ful+CHAP0245.

Apart from the recent changes made in the Virginia DUI laws, a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 per cent or more legally prohibits a person from driving a motor vehicle. The legal blood alcohol concentration limit is 0.02 per cent for minors or those under 21 years of age. For commercial drivers it is 0.04 per cent. Driving while under the effects of any controlled substances or prescribed drugs is also prohibited under Virginia DUI laws.

Virginia DUI Penalties

The penalties for drunken driving in the state of Virginia are jail, hefty fines, suspension of driver’s license, and taking part in several alcohol safety action programs etc. The intensity of the penalty differs according to the depending on the seriousness of the offense.

For a first time DUI in Virginia, the penalties include a jail of minimum five days of the driver is below eighteen years of age. If the convicted registers a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15 per cent to 0.20 per cent, he or she has to spend at least five days in the jail while if the registered level of alcohol in blood is more than 0.20 per cent; the convicted has to spend a minimum of ten days in the jail. A minimum fine of $250 is to be paid by the offender. If the offender is arrested with a passenger under eighteen in the vehicle, an additional fine of $500 to $1,000 is to be paid. The driver’s license is suspended for a period of one year. For offender with an alcohol concentration of 0.15 per cent or more, installing the ignition interlock device is mandatory. Upon order from the court, the offender also has to take part in an alcohol safety action program.

For a second VA, DUI conviction, the punishments are harsher. If the person is arrested within five years of the first conviction the jail sentence will be for duration of minimum 20 days to one year. A minimum of five days will be added to the jail sentence if there was any passenger below eighteen in the car.

If the offender is arrested for a second DUI offense within five to ten years from committing the first, he or she has to spend a minimum of 10 days to 1 month in the jail. For a registered BAC of 0.15 per cent to 0.20 per cent, ten days will be added to the jail time while 20 days will be added if the alcohol level above 0.20 per cent. The license is suspended for three years. The amount of fine that has to be paid will vary from 4500 to $1,000.

For a third Virginia DUI offense, the offender is sentenced to jail for a minimum of six months if he or she is convicted within five years of committing the previous crime. The duration is reduced to ninety days if the conviction takes place within ten years of the previous offense. For the presence of any passenger under eighteen in the car while driving, five more days are added to the jail duration. A minimum of $1,000 is to be paid as fine and the driver license get suspended for an indefinite period.

To know more about the laws and penalties of Virginia DUI, you may visit the following site: http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+18.2-270.

Drinking impairs the physical and mental abilities of any individual and reduces the ability to navigate the car through the roads safely. The implied consent Law in Virginia declares that any driver of Virginia must co-operate with the police and submit to the tests if stopped for suspected DUI. Refusing to comply with this will lead to your arrest and may also lead to the suspension of your driver’s license. You must also know about the SR22 insurance policies of the state.