Juvenile DUI Convictions Carry Harsh Punishment

There has been a trend in recent years that showsWhen kids drink with their friends, elevated levels of
many DUI arrests are the result of underage drinkingpeer pressure can formulate into daring a person to
and driving. More and more teenage children aredrive a vehicle. This can only lead to a great deal of
deciding to drink alcohol before they climb into theirdestruction that, ultimately, will mean either jail time or a
motor vehicle. Alcohol and driving can be a fatalprobationary period for the teen. Either way, most
mixture that can lead to a great deal of harm beingstates do not remove DUI arrests from your record at
done either to the person driving the car or an innocentany time, so the DUI that you got when you were 16
human being driving another car. There is a zerocould still come back to haunt you when you are 45.
tolerance policy for anyone under the age of 21 who isIf your child has found themselves in one of those
found to be intoxicated when they are behind theawkward situations where they are being tried for a
steering wheel, and the laws are being enforced moreDUI arrest, you will undoubtedly need the professional
vehemently now than ever before.advice of a good criminal attorney who will help you
In 2007, the National Highway Traffic Safetythrough the entire process. Prosecuting attorneys are
Administration conducted a study in which it wasusually not very lenient when it comes to driving under
shown that 28 percent of all juvenile crashes in thethe influence cases whether you are an adult or a
United States were a direct result of the teenagerchild. In order to have your rights fully represented in
being intoxicated. Of that number, 64 percent werethe matter, you will want to hire a criminal lawyer who
found to not be wearing their safety belt. Once youhas a great deal of experience with these types of
begin to drink, your inhibitions quickly begin to dissolve,cases, as they can usually be difficult to try from the
which means that you are not at the right mentaldefense's standpoint.
capacity to make decisions as they relate to operatingDUI attorneys do a fantastic job at making sure that all
a motor vehicle. The NHTSA also found that 40of your personal rights are adhered to while getting
percent of all fatalities that were related to alcoholyou a fair trial in the courtroom. A good criminal lawyer
could be traced back to juvenile drinking and driving.will diligently help you prepare a case to argue and
The new found thrill of having a driver's license andsupport your child throughout the entire process. It is
being able to go wherever you want is sometimesimportant that you only hire reputable a reputable,
taken for granted by some teenagers, which canwell-established criminal attorney, as there are many
result in poor decisions like driving under the influence.intricacies that are involved with this type of case.
Another interesting element to this story is the factJuvenile DUI is a serious matter, and it should be
that peer pressure amongst juveniles is usually higherhandled in a professional way by a competent DUI
and plays a bigger role in the actions of any teenager.attorney.