Posts Tagged ‘DWI conviction’

DWI Felony in California

Posted on Mar 14, 2011

If you are charged with DWI in California for the fourth time in ten years, then according to the DWI laws of California you will be charged with a DWI felony. However, if your DWI has led to the death or severe injury even in the first offense, it will be still considered as a felony.

Felony DWI Charge in California

A felony DWI is considered to be extremely serious and can affect your life tremendously. Though, in California every DWI is not considered to be felony, repeated DWI charges can lead to a felony. However, if you have been convicted for the first, second or third time and there are no aggravating factors, then your DWI will be considered a misdemeanor. A DWI will be considered a felony in California under conditions like:

Has led to one or more injuries or deaths
Three or more DWI convictions within the past 10 years
At least one DUI felony conviction

Penalties for a DWI felony in California

While DWI in California results in a misdemeanor changes, you can be charged with felony depending on the crime committed. Penalties for a felony charge are much severe as compared to misdemeanor. A felony will result in longer duration of jail time in the California prison system.

Under California Vehicle Code Section 23153, if you are driving a motor and your BAC is 0.08% or greater and has caused bodily injury, you can be convicted of a felony DWI charge. In case of first offense, the penalties will include imprisonment in the county jail for 180 days to 1 year for a misdemeanor, and imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months or 2 or 3 years for a felony, and a fine of $390 to $1000. Apart from this, you will have to face a 3-5 year probation sentence and you might also have to attend some alcohol treatment/counseling programs.

If you have had earlier DWI charges and it is your third DWI/Wet Reckless offense, you will be charged with a DWI Felony pursuant to California Vehicle Code Section 23152. This will result in imprisonment in the county jail for 180 days to 1 year for a misdemeanor, or in the state prison for 16 months or 2 or 3 years for a felony with a fine of $390 to $1000. It will also lead to a 3-5 year probation sentence along with alcohol treatment/counseling programs.

Arrest and court procedures for a DWI felony

When you are arrested for DWI, the police officer will provide you with the Miranda rights. If it is a California felony DWI case, then you will have to surrender your driver license but you can still continue to drive the vehicle for 30 days pending a review by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). But if you refuse to submit to a chemical test to analyze your BAC at the time of the arrest, then it will result in 1-3 year license suspension.

California has strict rules for DWI and can lead to felony which can affect not only your driving record but also your life. You should therefore, avoid drunk driving and save yourself from such severe charges.

DWI Education Course in Texas

Posted on Oct 28, 2010

States, counties, and municipalities are trying many ways to persuade those that drink and drive to abandon the dangerous habit. This issue is being tackled by DWI education courses in Texas for those that have been convicted of drinking and driving. These courses are comprehensive educational programs designed to inform these drivers of the harms of drinking and driving.

DWI Education Courses seek to curb Drunk Driving

Accidents, injuries and fatalities caused by drivers that have had too much to drink have been recorded and they are a serious problem in every state. Legislation in the Long Star state has been implemented that creates harsher punishments, for those convicted of DWI. Public safety officers use many techniques to curb drunk driving. Judges in Texas understand the problems of drivers that have had too much to drink and they are issuing tougher sentences to those that are convicted of DWI.

Mandatory Completion of DWI Education Courses for 1st Time Offenders

Texas laws and criminal codes mandates that drivers convicted of a first time offense of drunk driving and get probation must attend and completely finish a DWI education course that has been approved by the state of Texas.

Lost Of Driving Privileges for Non-Completion

If these courses are not finish within 6 months from the date of conviction, driver will have his or her driving license taken away. The person will not be able to get their driving privileges back until they finish the DWI education course.

DWI Education Courses Outlined

The DWI education courses go over subjects like:

alcohol and driving safety issues,
Texas DWI legislation,
how alcohol impairs drivers,
rinking and driving task abilities,
chemical addiction,
signs of alcohol addictions,
how to get help with a drinking problems,
harms of DWI on society, and
making good decisions.

DWI Education Courses increase awareness of Drunk Driving

The focus of DWI education courses is to increase the awareness of the offenders in attempting to change the deadly habit of drinking and driving. The participants are tested before and after the course begin.

DWI Education Courses Reduce Repeat Offenders

These types of DWI education courses have been effective with reducing DWI repeat offenses. However improvements are needed to improve these programs. Statistics have shown that these programs need increased focus and funding so that in the future more drunk driving offenders can benefit from these courses.

DWI, DWI Issues1 Comment »DWI DWI conviction DWI Education Course DWI Offenders

DWI Conviction for Juveniles in LA

Posted on Mar 24, 2010

To make the dangers of juvenile DWI in Los Angeles real for students, officials at Palisades High School parked a wrecked car on campus and called in law enforcement to show students and parents of the dangers of drinking and driving. Then a local parent told the tragic story of the death of his 17 year old son who died in a horrific crash on an L.A. street in October of 1988. This story brought home the realities of underage drinking and driving to the students.

Effects of Juvenile DWI

Driving While Intoxicated not only affects adults; many juveniles who have not reached the legal age for drinking choose to get behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated. Drinking and driving is very dangerous for adults and juveniles. Juveniles are not as experienced behind the wheel and are not able to make responsible decisions when they are intoxicated.

Most days, at least nine juveniles die because of an alcohol related issue. Three out of the nine were related to DUI. About 38% of youths killed in traffic accidents in 2003 died due to alcohol-related incidents.

College Students and Drunk Driving

A poll of college students in 2001 revealed that 26% of underage drinkers have driven while intoxicated. Of those students, 10% said they had driven after drinking five drinks. Almost 25% of the students related that they routinely ride with someone who is drunk or high within in a month of the poll.

Lack of Understanding for Driving While Intoxicated

In 2000, drivers under 21 made up 7% of the total number of licensed drivers however, they accounted for 13% of drunk driving deaths in that year. Most youths don’t realize or understand the effects that blood alcohol content has on the brain and body and how drinking affects the way they drive a car. Because of the greater death rates associated with juvenile drinking and driving, most states have stricter laws to discourage underage drinkers from drinking and driving.

Recent studies have shown that states in which “zero tolerance” laws have been implemented see a decrease in the likelihood of binge drinking behavior (more than 5 drinks per sitting) among boys aged 18 – 20 by 13%.

Sad Reality of DWI Convictions

Since 1984, when the drinking age of 21 became federal law, it is estimated that thousands of lives have been saved each year. But, because of negligence and loopholes in laws in certain states, it is still relatively easy for people under the age of 21 to drink alcohol to the point of intoxication. The sad truth is that underage drunk driving will remain a problem and cause needless deaths for as long as alcohol is available for juveniles.

DWI, Juvenile Drinking, Underage DrinkingNo Comments »DWI conviction Juveniles Underage Drunk Driving