According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2,597 people were killed in United States traffic accidents in December 2010. Of those, 775 deaths involved alcohol-impaired drivers. A 2006 study by the NHTSA estimated that there is one drunk driving fatality in the United States every 30 minutes.
Georgia's Driving Under the Influence Laws are complex. Georgia DUI injury attorney Shane Smith can sort through the intermingled laws that potentially create complications in a DUI case.
Georgia has a zero tolerance law for underage drinking and driving. Though the illegal blood alcohol content (BAC) for drivers over 21 years old is 0.08 percent, drivers under 21 can be charged with DUI with a BAC of 0.02 percent. Teen drivers can be charged with DUI in a minor accident if a chemical test indicates that they have a small amount of alcohol in their system.
A University of Georgia student was arrested for underage DUI after she was pulled over at around 2 a.m. for swerving across lanes near the campus. According to the police report the student, 19, told police she was coming from a bar and that the bar had let her in despite being under 21 years old. The student failed a field sobriety test and was arrested. She asked the officer to get her purse from the car when he noticed another I.D. in plain sight. The student claimed a friend had found the I.D. and that she used it to get into the bar. The student was arrested for underage DUI, underage possession and consumption of alcohol, moving violations and possession of a false I.D.
If you have questions about Georgia DUI laws, get the answers in Clayton County DUI injury attorney Shane Smith's book, I Was Hit By a Drunk Driver: What Do I Do Next? Contact Shane Smith Law to schedule a free legal consultation.