When we think about drunk driving, we think about the person coming home from the bar on the weekends who made a bad choice. But, a look at just one week this month reveals that DWI arrests occur almost every day of the week.
The Hardin County Jail Report
The Hardin County Jail Report is released weekly, and it shows a listing of arrests that occurred during the prior week. During the week of Sept. 7-14, Sunday had the most DWI arrests, which suggests that football Sunday may be a bigger issue than a Friday or Saturday night at the bar. In fact, Monday and Tuesday were the only days without a DWI arrest.
Minor DWI
or those under 21, any detectable amount of alcohol can lead to a DWI charge. The problem is that many legal items contain some amount of alcohol that is legal for minors to consume. This even includes Kombucha.
Adult DWI
For an adult, the illegal blood alcohol concentration is 0.08%. However, even if you are impaired, you could be breaking Texas DWI law when you drive anything with a motor, like a car, plane, boat, etc. Even being out in the public inebriated could lead to a public intoxication charge.
DWI penalties
For your first DWI offense, you could be fined up to $2,000 and spend up to 180 days in jail. If convicted, you will spend at least three days in jail, and you could lose your license for up to a year. This is all in addition to a state fine of $3,000.
For a second DWI conviction, the fine increases to $4,000, the minimum jail time increases to 1 month and the maximum increases up to 1 year. Driver’s license suspension also increases to up to 2 years. The state fine increases to $4,500.
For a third DWI conviction, the fine is now $10,000. The minimum incarceration time moves up to 2 years, and the maximum goes to 10 years. You can still only lose your license for up to 2 years. The state fine further increases to $6,000.
Unfortunately, a DWI arrest seldom comes with only that charge. And, depending on who is with you, like a minor, you could even face additional charges. If you carry a gun in your car, additional cars could follow as well.