DUI Third Offense

Throughout the country, it is against the law for drivers over the age of 21 to operate a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or higher.  The consequences of drunk driving are life-altering and may include probation, jail time, DUI School, expensive fines, and loss of driving privileges.

If you have been charged with a DUI third offense, you need to contact an attorney as soon as possible. The penalties for a third offense within a certain timeframe are severe. You face a greater mandatory minimum of fines and jail time than you did for a first or second offense.

The classifications for DUI vary from state to state. A first offense is typically classified as a misdemeanor. Most states also classify a second offense as a misdemeanor, though New York and Wyoming make a second offense a felony. Georgia and Texas also classify multiple offenses as a felony, but only after the fourth DUI conviction.

So what is the difference between a drunk-driving misdemeanor and a felony? The biggest difference is where your confinement will take place. For a misdemeanor, the offender will serve his or her time at a jail; however, someone who is convicted of a felony must serve his or her time at the state prison.

If convicted of a felony, you will also have trouble finding work. Government agencies, private companies that handle classified information and businesses that work with children have the right to perform a criminal background check during the hiring process. Many companies have policies in place that prevent them from hiring convicted felons.

If convicted of a third DUI offense, the judge may sentence you to have an ignition interlock device installed in your car as a condition of your driver’s license reinstatement. This device measures your breath to determine your blood alcohol concentration (BAC). If your BAC is over a preset limit, your vehicle will not start. These devices have safeguards in place to ensure that they are not tampered with or circumvented.

If you have been charged with DUI third offense, you need to contact a lawyer today who focuses exclusively on DUI law. Your attorney will discuss your case and the avenues that are available to you.

States/Abbreviations
AK	Alaska	LA	Louisiana	OH	Ohio
AL	Alabama	MA	Massachusetts	OK	Oklahoma
AR	Arkansas	MD	Maryland	OR	Oregon
AZ	Arizona	ME	Maine	PA	Pennsylvania
CA	California	MI	Michigan	RI	Rhode Island
CO	Colorado	MN	Minnesota	SC	South Carolina
CT	Connecticut	MO	Missouri	SD	South Dakota
DE	Delaware	MS	Mississippi	TN	Tennessee
FL	Florida	MT	Montana	TX	Texas
GA	Georgia	NC	North Carolina	UT	Utah
HI	Hawaii	ND	North Dakota	VT	Vermont
IA	Iowa	NE	Nebraska	VA	Virginia
ID	Idaho	NH	New Hampshire	WA	Washington State
IL	Illinois	NJ	New Jersey	WI	Wisconsin
IN	Indiana	NM	New Mexico	WV	West Virginia
KS	Kansas	NV	Nevada	WY	Wyoming
KY	Kentucky	NY	New York	DC	Washington DC