Individuals under the age of 21 are prohibited from purchasing, consuming or possessing alcohol in the state of Texas. Furthermore, the state has a zero tolerance DUI law that applies to younger motorists.
Penalties for underage DUI
Texas law says drivers who are convicted of underage DUI may spend time in jail or have their licenses suspended for up to a year. Drivers who are under the age of 17 may be sentenced to community service in lieu of jail time. Additional penalties may apply if you can’t mount a successful defense strategy against allegations that you violated implied consent laws.
You may experience other consequences
It can be much harder to get into college if you are convicted of DUI at any age. This is because colleges tend to seek out people who won’t tarnish the school’s image either before or after being accepted. If an applicant has been convicted of DUI in the past, it may suggest that this person is not mature enough to be successful in a college setting.
You may also struggle to find work after being convicted of a DUI. Therefore, you may not have the financial resources necessary to pay for books, meals or other costs that you’ll likely incur while in school. Ultimately, you may be forced to drop out of school, which can have long-term ramifications for your career.
There are several ways in which you may be able to obtain a favorable outcome in a DUI case. For instance, it may be possible to assert that the results of a chemical test were incorrect because it was performed improperly.
