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Wednesday, June 15, 2016

DWI for First-Time Offenders in North Carolina


If you are caught driving drunk, you may be charged with DWI (Driving While Impaired andthe repercussions can be quite severe. It is therefore advised that you seek the help of a competent DWI lawyer as soon as possible after you are charged.

DWI in North Carolina

According to North Carolina state laws, a person age 21 and older may be charged with DWI if they are stopped by an officer and are subsequently found to have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08%. The  blood alcohol content limit for commercial drivers, however, is only 0.04% because of the inherent risk presented with driving commercial vehicles while intoxicated.

On the other hand, if you’re a minor (under the age of 21) caught driving with any trace of alcohol in your system you can be arrested for Driving After Consuming alcohol, sometimes called a “Baby DWI”. You don’t have to be drunk to be charged with this offense, and the consequences of a criminal conviction can be far-reaching, from having to disclose a  criminal record to a potential employer to being denied federal student aid for college

Penalties 

Make no mistake about it, first-time offenders face much stiffer penalties than they once did which is why it is so important to get yourself a good DWI lawyer. However, the law does take into consideration the fact that many offenders have no previous record. Therefore a level 5 first-time offender may only be sentenced to . On the other hand, if there are enough aggravating factors, jail time could be as high as 36 months in prison for an Aggravated Level 1 DWI.

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