You swore it was never going to happen again, until it did. You made the choice to drive home after a few drinks at a friend’s house. Now, on the side of the road, you realize that there is a chance you will have to deal with another DUI charge.
Kentucky has some of the toughest DUI laws in the country. Its zero tolerance stance on drinking and driving means that multiple convictions impose stiffer penalties. Find out what may lie ahead should you find yourself on the wrong end of a Breathalyzer.
Substance abuse treatment program
When a driver faces another DUI conviction within a 10-year period of the first, the stakes are definitely much higher. Kentucky requires all drivers convicted of a DUI to participate in a substance abuse or alcohol treatment program. For first timers, this requirement involves a three-month program. However, for all subsequent convictions, the mandatory treatment program time shoots up to one year. Exercise caution and only choose a treatment program on the approved list to ensure you get credit for it.
License suspension
After you received your first DUI conviction, you had to go without your license for up to four months, which was not easy to work around. However, should a second conviction occur within 10 years, not only will the DMV suspend your license for 12 to 18 months, but they will also seize your license plate for that same time period.
Ignition interlock device
An ignition interlock device stops drivers from driving until they blow into a breath testing device that unlocks the ignition. The court typically orders the installation of the device in subsequent DUI convictions. Recently, however, the governor signed a new law into effect that will require all first-time DUI offenders to have an ignition interlock device installed or lose their license longer. Prior to this change, only those first-timers with a BAC greater than 0.15% needed this device.
When looking at a subsequent DUI charge, you may want to seek some professional guidance. Since the punishment gets increasingly worse with every conviction, having someone who understands the law to help is important.