Once your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is over the legal limit, the Florida police can arrest you for driving under the influence (DUI) charges. Currently, for most adults driving standard passenger vehicles, the legal limit for their BAC is 0.08%. There are much lower limits for teenagers and those driving commercial vehicles.
Even if the alcohol doesn’t visibly affect your driving skill, being over the limit is in itself enough to bring charges against you. The higher your BAC is, the greater the penalties you potentially face. Florida imposes enhanced penalties on those with particularly high BACs at the time of their arrests.
What is a high-BAC offense in Florida?
More alcohol in your bloodstream means more impairment. When you get close to twice the legal limit for alcohol, you could be incredibly dangerous to others at the wheel. When your BAC is 0.15% or higher, the state can levy far more serious penalties against you.
The fine you pay for a first offense could be as high as $2,000. Even a first high-BAC DUI charge could mean up to nine months in jail and the loss of someone’s driver’s license for up to six months. The penalties go up with each arrest. For third offenses, the fine could be as high as $5,000, while the license suspension could last for ten years.
When you understand the possible penalties, you may have more of a reason to challenge breath test results that seem inaccurate because they are so high or to fight back against your DUI charges. Learning about Florida’s DUI laws can help those accused of violating the rules.
