Virginia has serious penalties for those convicted of drunk driving. The penalties are particularly bad if you’re caught transporting children at the time of your arrest.
According to the Virginia State Department of Motor Vehicles, if you’re convicted of an offense involving a person aged 17 or under, you will face an additional and mandatory five-day jail sentence on top of other penalties. You can also be fined up to $1,000 and may face other charges or penalties depending on the number of times you’ve been stopped and convicted of a DUI.
Any time you’re convicted of a DUI, you will need to report to the Alcohol Safety Action Program in your area. This program screens you and oversees any probation you’re on to determine if your license should be reinstated. The process itself is there to determine which type of intervention services are needed. For example, if the program finds that you are an alcoholic, it may determine that you need to go through an alcohol abuse treatment program. The class takes a minimum of 20 hours across a 10-week period.
There are fines and fees associated with your arrest that you may be liable for if you are convicted of a DUI. These include restitution, which may include up to $1,000 for the cost of emergency medical services, firefighters or law enforcement.
The best way to avoid penalties like this after an arrest is to look into different defense options. Depending on the circumstances, you may have a number of ways to defend your case, so you can have the charges lowered or dropped. Our site has more on what you can do to defend yourself.
