PA DUI Law & Penalties
As a DUI law firm in Pennsylvania, we work hard to help our clients come to an understanding of the alleged crime so that they can decide the best way to face the allegations against them.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania considers operating a motor vehicle under the influence of a controlled substance—legal or illegal—a criminal activity. State laws outline specific parameters to define the type of substances that impair cognition and negatively affect driving abilities:
- Alcohol – any amount over .08 blood alcohol content (BAC) level
- Illegal drugs – any amount!
- Prescription drugs – one type of drug or a combination of drugs
- Combination of drugs & alcohol
DUI law in Pennsylvania explicitly deems driving with any of these substances in your system an illegal activity that endangers your safety and the safety of others. The law allows for the administration of both chemical and field sobriety tests to determine whether the amount of substance exceeds the legal limit.
BAC and Pennsylvania laws
BAC plays a big role in the severity of your DUI charge & penalties. Pennsylvania has unique laws that set a standard legal limit for intoxication with a graduating scale of penalties related to BAC levels:
- .08 BAC = legal limit
- .08 - .10 BAC = general impairment
- .10 - .16 BAC = high rate of alcohol
- .16 – above BAC = highest rate of alcohol
The law is black and white on this issue—the higher the rate of alcohol in the driver’s system, the stricter the punishments. This breaks down to higher fees, longer jail time, and mandatory treatment programs.
Pennsylvania DUI defense
Confronting charges of DUI is serious business. The law is tough on these crimes and growing tougher year by year—in 2004 the legal limit of BAC was lowered from 0.10 to 0.08. You will want a solid Pennsylvania DUI defense to help clear your good name.
Skilled DUI attorneys in Pennsylvania are an important part of building a legal strategy. Richard J. Emhof offers savvy lawyer services to give his clients the fighting chance they deserve. He will help you work with the law to declare your innocence or make a plea for alternative resolution in your best interest.
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