Everyone knows that getting behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol is a criminal offense in the state of Texas. However, it has a zero tolerance law for those who are underage but driving under the influence of alcohol. In fact, the state even uses a variety of chemical tests in order to determine whether the driver has consumed alcohol over the legal limits or not.Underage DWI Convictions
Underage DWI convictions happen only when a person who is under 21 years of age drives while under the influence of drugs, alcohol or a combination of the above substances. As per the Texas Alcohol Beverage Code Annexure § 106.041, there is no legal limit for convicting underage drivers who drove their cars under the influence of alcohol and/or other harmful substances. This implies that even a small trace of alcohol or drugs in your body can result in a conviction against you. If you want to avoid being convicted, you should consider taking the services of an efficient DWI Houston Attorney.
The Zero Tolerance Law
An adult who would drink and get behind the wheel after about 3 hours or so would not get convicted since the blood alcohol content of the person would go below 0.08% automatically. However, in case of underage drivers, this will not be the case. Even a small trace of alcohol or drugs in their bodies is enough to get them convicted. This is the zero tolerance law of the state of Texas. This is when you need the services of an efficient lawyer to prove you innocent. In fact, the zero tolerance law was also amended in the year 2009 to include watercraft's as vehicles which should not be driven under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It is classified as a Class C misdemeanor and is treated extremely seriously, which is why you should take the help of a DWI Houston Lawyer to prove your innocence.
The Penalties That Follow
If you are underage and convicted of DWI, you can expect the penalties to also be severe. For instance, you would need to pay a fine of $500, attend alcohol awareness classes, and perform community service of up to 20 to 40 hours. Additionally, you might also face the suspension of your driver’s license. You would also not become eligible for an occupational license for about 30 days if you are a minor. If this is your first offense, your license would be suspended for up to 60 days. If this is your second or third offense, the duration of the suspension of your license would be even more. Moreover, if this is your third or fourth offense, the fine would also increase along with the increase in the number of hours of community service and some jail time. This would affect your career as well as educational prospects, which is why you should hire the services of a good DWI Houston Lawyer. He or she might get the penalties against you reduced or if you are proven completely innocent by your lawyer, your case could get automatically dismissed too.
