The excitement of having their own cars and being able to drive them can make any teen forget about safety. This is why it’s important for parents to drill safety practices into their children while they’re still very young. With repetition, practice, and constant reminders, your teen will hopefully be able to keep safety in mind. Parents really have it tough. But apart from teaching children about driver and road safety, there are also other vital issues that mom and dads have to tackle; and one is DUI.
DUI – Driving Under the Influence
DUI is actually almost but not quite similar to DWI. DUI or driving under the influence means that the driver’s physical, emotional or mental capacity is under the influence of mind- or performance-altering substances. These substances could be illegal drugs or alcohol. As for DWI, this is driving while intoxicated or drunk. Those arrested for either offense could face misdemeanor or felony charges, depending on the circumstances surrounding a case.
It is very important for parents to reiterate the importance of driving with a clear head. This avoids accidents that not only endanger your teen, but also other pedestrians or vehicle operators. Make sure that your child understands that he could go to jail for DUI or DWI, especially if he causes others grave injuries, serious damages, or death.
Getting Arrested for DUI
No parent wants his child to get arrested for any crime. But for those who do get caught drunk driving or driving while being under the influence of some drugs, they will most likely be taken to the nearest police station for booking. Usually, the prospect of getting arrested is enough to really scare a child that he makes sure that he strictly follows road rules and regulations. Still, make sure that your teen understands what could happen so that he’ll get a picture of what he could experience in case he ignores traffic rules and, of course, your advice and warnings.
So, once a teen lawbreaker is taken to a police station, he will be booked. Here, a police officer will obtain basic personal details, like name, weight, height, age, hair and eye color, birth date and birth place, tattoo marks or other unique physical characteristics, and others. It is also very likely for the police to get fingerprints and pictures. Personal effects will also be taken before the offender is put in jail.
It’s really scary for anyone, much less a teen, to go through such a harrowing incident. But the good news here is that judges are often quite lenient of juvenile delinquents. Because the offender is young and inexperienced, judges offer opportunities for them to change for the better. This means that it is very possible for cases to be classified as misdemeanors, especially if, luckily, there was no real harm done. Punishment will be focused on disciplining and rehabilitating bad habits, instead of punishing, such as in the case of those who commit more serious felonies. But this doesn’t mean that the teen offender will get off scot free. He will most likely pay fines and do community service. The presiding judge makes the final decision regarding the sentence for the offender.
Citations:
- Photo courtesy of razvan ionut at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
Claire Shaun writes about road traffic incidents. She tackles issues regarding auto insurance, auto accidents, motorcycle accidents and other personal injury issues. She blogs for a DUI attorney Gainesville and other respected law blog sites.