The Legal Damage Alcohol can Cause

In the United States, the legal drinking age is twenty one. Even though you should legally be twenty one to drink, a lot of people participate in underage drinking. If you get caught drinking and you’re not of legal age, you can be sentenced to jail time.

            People also get in trouble with the law a lot because they try to go out and drive while they’re intoxicated. This is also illegal and, there can be a lot of consequences for doing this. Statistics say that, almost half of all drivers who were killed in crashes and tested positive for drugs, also had alcohol in their systems. The statistics also state that, in the year 2010, 211 children were killed in drunken driving crashes. Out of those 211 deaths, 131 of the children were riding with a drunk driver. Drinking and driving doesn’t only affect the person that’s driving, it also affects the people around. Drunk driving doesn’t always result in crashes and death. If someone gets caught by the police, they can be pulled over and arrested for Driving while Intoxicated (DWI) or, Driving While under the Influence (DUI).

            There are various punishments for DWI and/or DUI. In all of the states, first offense DWI or DUI is classified as a misdemeanor, and can punishable by up to six months in jail. The jail time can be increased under certain circumstances. Many states also require minimum jail sentences of at least several days on a first offense. Subsequent offenses may result in jail time up to several months to a year. For a DUI or DWI that has been classified as a felony, either because the driver killed or injured someone or, because this is the third or fourth offense, jail time can be for several years. This depends on the state and the laws. In addition to jail time for DWI and DUI, courts can also impose fines. These fines can range anywhere from $500 to $2,000.