Multiple DUI Convictions

If you have been charged with a DUI offense in the last 10 years you are probably well aware of how the system works in Pittsburgh. The punishment is harsh in the event of somebody repeating the offense. Your car insurance premium shoots up, you need to install an IID and pay huge amounts of fines. And possibly the worst part, you can lose your license for a year or more. Since DUI charges can create a permanent criminal record you need to have an experienced Pittsburgh DUI Lawyer by your side if you may be facing multiple DUI convictions.

DUI charges are based on a driver’s BAC level which is nothing but the blood alcohol concentration in one’s body. If your BAC level is 0.08% or higher you can be charged with DUI. However, you can also be arrested if BAC is less than 0.08% if the police have reasons to believe that you were impaired and behind the wheels of a vehicle.

In Pittsburgh as elsewhere in Pennsylvania, a three-tier system is followed based on the level of alcohol in a person’s blood and is used to determine the level of punishment in DUI related cases.

BAC between 0.08% and 0.099% is considered as general level impairment, the lowest in the category and can be punished with –

• For a second offense, you may need to serve between 5 days and six months in prison, bear fines between $300 and $2,500 and face one year of license suspension. You will also have to drive with an interlock ignition device for a year.

BAC levels between 0.10% and 0.159% are categorized as a middle tier or treated as high impairment. It is punishable with –

• Second offense in such cases invites prison sentences between 30 days and 6 months, fines between $750 and $5,000, a year of license suspension and driving with an IID for a year. The court may also make it compulsory to take a treatment program and attend the alcohol highway safety school.
• Repeating this offense for the third time can result in 90 days to 5 years of imprisonment, fines between $1,500 and $10,000, 18-month license suspension and also undergo a treatment program and attend the alcohol highway safety school.

BAC of 0.16% and above is classified as highest impairment and is punishable with –

• A repeat offense under this tier can result in imprisonment between 90 days and 5 years, fines of $1,500 to $10,000, driving with an IID for one year and 18 months of license suspension. The courts also ask the person guilty to take a treatment program and attend alcohol highway safety school.
• Repeat offense more than twice carries the strictest of punishments in DUI cases where one needs to spend between one and five years in prison, pay fines between $2,500 and $10,000, face 18 months of license suspension and drive with an IID for one year. Additionally, the courts may also ask you to attend a treatment program.

• Don’t obstruct police officers from discharging their duties
• Don’t tell them that you are drunk
• Politely refuse to make any statements before you have a DUI Lawyer in Pittsburgh by your side

An experienced DUI Lawyer is well versed in the State and Federal Laws related DUI and would defend you passionately. He/she will discredit all the information that have been presented against you and would ensure that your rights are protected by the court so that you can try to avoid multiple DUI convictions. Your attorney would suggest to you the best course of legal action with regards to your case.

For a free consultation with a DUI defense attorney in Pittsburgh, contact us online today, or by calling 844.PITT.DUI or 844.PITT.DUI.