| Minnesota laws for DUI are among the toughest in the | | | | sentence of up to 90 days plus fines, mandatory |
| country, made even tougher by the recent lowering of | | | | alcohol education courses that includes the effects of |
| the legal limit from .10 to .08. | | | | DUI and mandatory education on the consequences of |
| Similar to drunk-driving laws that exist in other states, a | | | | DUI on the driver's license. |
| Minnesota DUI arrest involves two separate cases: | | | | Minnesota DUI law considers a first-offense conviction |
| one is a criminal court case wherein the appropriate | | | | a gross misdemeanor caused by aggravating factors. |
| drunk driving punishment is meted and the second is a | | | | The penalties and punishment for first-offense DUI |
| case sought by the Minnesota Department of Public | | | | could include a jail term of up to one year plus a fine |
| safety, which affects the drunk driver's Minnesota | | | | of up to $3,000. |
| driving privileges. | | | | Second-offense conviction for DUI is harsher |
| Under Minnesota DUI law, the driver arrested for | | | | especially if it occurs within ten years of the previous |
| violating the law has the right to speak to or consult a | | | | DUI offense and could include a jail term of up to one |
| DUI defense attorney prior to taking the necessary | | | | year plus a fine of up to $3,000. |
| test for determining level of alcohol. If the driver does | | | | The punishment is significantly higher for third-offense |
| not know of any DUI defense layer, the police will | | | | DUI conviction within 10 years. The car is impounded |
| furnish the driver with a directory of DUI lawyers to | | | | immediately and a significantly higher jail term is sought. |
| choose from. However if the driver refuses to | | | | An alcohol abuse evaluation is necessarily obtained |
| undergo the chemical test after being arrested for | | | | and the driver will have to prove that he is not an |
| drunk driving, it constitutes a separate and different | | | | alcoholic. Under Minnesota DUI laws, a fourth-offense |
| criminal offense. | | | | DUI within ten years is considered a felony and |
| Under Minnesota DUI law, the criminal court punishment | | | | includes a jail term of three years plus a fine of |
| for driving under the influence could involve a jail | | | | $14,000 or more. |