How Does My Blood Alcohol Concentration Affect my DUI Charges in Tennessee?
Knoxville, TN- If you’ve been charged with a DUI, you may be wonder how your blood alcohol concentration affects your DUI. You’re right to wonder that because it will have an impact on seriousness of your charges and the sentence you receive should be convicted of DUI.
First we’ll discuss what blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is exactly. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration describes BAC as, “The amount of alcohol in a person’s body is measured by the weight of the alcohol in a certain volume of blood.”
As you drink, alcohol is absorbed through your stomach, small intestines and into your bloodstream. The more you drink the more you absorb and the more intoxicated you get. How intoxicated you become off of one drink depends on your tolerance, height and weight, so it’s difficult to say how many drinks will put you over the legal limit.
So, how does my BAC affect my DUI?
Well, your BAC affects the seriousness of your DUI charges and the penalty you receive if you are convicted. The legal limit in Tennessee is 0.08. If your BAC is slightly above that limit you can be charged with a simple DUI, which still has troublesome consequences, but not as bad as it could be. You may be able to have your charges and penalties reduced if your BAC was right at or slightly above or below the legal limit. That’s one way your BAC can affect your DUI charges.
If your BAC is above 0.08, you could be in trouble. A blood alcohol concentration of 0.20 or above calls for enhanced penalties in Tennessee. A simple DUI, one with a BAC below 0.20, carries a minimum jail sentence of 48 hours, but once you go higher than 0.20, you face a minimum of 7 days in jail. On top of that, you face significantly higher fines and your license will be suspended for a longer period.
HealthStatus offers a BAC calculator on their website so you can use it before you get a DUI. Of course, the best policy is to avoid driving altogether but if that isn’t possible, the BAC calculator can help you determine how drunk you are before you get behind the wheel. Again, Don’t Drink and Drive! It’s dangerous! But if you do and you get into trouble you need to enlist a DUI lawyer in Knoxville, Tennessee to help you with your defense.
A DUI, high BAC or not, is a charge that could haunt you from some time to come. The legal consequences can have a ripple effect and many aspects of your life will feel the impact. Your wallet could take a double hit because you have to pay the fines, court costs plus your inability to drive could affect your job. Facing DUI charges you need to act and speak with a defense attorney. If you are in Knoxville, USAttorneys recommends the Garza Law Firm and their team of skilled DUI defense lawyers.
