Massachusetts Drunk Driving Laws
Riding a motor vehicle in the United States of America requires skills and concentration. Automatic vehicle maneuvering, lane discipline along with speed limits all require the driver to be alert around the clock. With such requirements, one cannot afford to drink and drive in the USA. Drunk driving is a punishable crime and the drivers are fined and jailed heavily. The DUI laws of every state in the United States of America are drafted separately depending upon the specific requirements of the state.
What is DUI?
DUI is the abbreviation for driving under the influence. When someone consumes a chemical or alcohol, their mind and body are not in their control. Driving under the influence of such a chemical is called DUI and DWI is the abbreviation for driving while intoxicated. When such chemicals enter one’s brain and body, the following reactions are observed internally and externally:
- Lack of coherency in speech
- Lack of muscular reflex
- Eyesight gets blurred
- Hand-eye coordination becomes less
- Irritability
- Instability
- Limbs do not co-operate
With such physical and mental instability, one cannot drive a motor vehicle all by themselves. Hence the Massachusetts Drunk Driving Law states that the driver should steer clear of drinks before driving. The patrol officers can request a driver to give a blow test or blood test or urine test to check for DUI. If the driver is non-co-operating then the police patrol officer can book the concerned for aggravated DUI behavior.
DUI Laws in Massachusetts
The Drunk driving law in Massachusetts is different for underage drivers and the rest. Also, the rules are different for commercial and non-commercial drivers. According to the Drunk Driving Laws. the blood alcohol concentration is measured for the drivers. This is the amount of alcohol in the blood and based on the number of the concerned person is classified as drunk or not drunk.
In Massachusetts, if the BAC of the non-commercial driver is greater than or equal to 0.08 % he is considered as drunk. While for commercial drivers, if the BAC level is greater than or equal to 0.04% they are considered as drunk. In Massachusetts commercial drivers are allowed to drive school buses. Hence safety is of prime concern in this context. For underage drivers, even a BAC of 0.02 % is considered as drunk and they are punished heavily.
What are the punishments?
Massachusetts Drunk Driving Laws are applicable to every offender and each accused stands the same before the law. The penalties for drinking driving in Massachusetts are:
- First-time offenders can be fined $500 to $5000. They have a suspension of their driver’s license for 45 to 90 days. They can even be imprisoned for about 2 and a half years.
- A second-time offender is the one who has already committed a drunken drive offense and is caught again. He can be imprisoned upon being caught and the number of days of imprisonment can vary between 60 days to two and a half years. The fine levied can range from $600 to $10,000. The license suspension period is 2 years. If the offender wishes, he can revoke the license with an ignition interlock device attachment.
- Drinking driving three times in a row can be charged under a felony in Massachusetts. But generally, the offender can be imprisoned for 180 days minimum or 2.5 years maximum. The fine charged on them is $1500 to $25,000. The license is suspended for 10 years and one can revoke their license after 5 years with an ignition interlock device.
- The person who is committing the drunk driving offense for more than three times gets his license revoked for life and charged with a fine of $2000-$50,000. The accused is pushed into the state prison for 2.5 to 5 years.
Along with drunk driving, if the driver has committed any accident that has caused property damage or claimed life if the driver is non-co-operating with the patrol officer the same can be charged with enhanced punishments.
Massachusetts does not allow any accused to escape from the law. Though the Punishment for drunk driving in Massachusetts is high, the general assembly feels a need to reinforce strict punishments to avoid drunk driving in the city and keep the accident rates minimum.
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