If you drive in the state of Kentucky, you want to understand that you are giving implied consent to a blood, breath, or urine test if you are suspected of driving under the influence. If you are found with any level of drugs in your system or you have a .08 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC) or above, you will be arrested for DUI. If you have aggravating factors, such as having a child under 12 in the car, are driving more than 30 mph over the speed limit, driving in the wrong direction, have an accident, or are guilty other infractions, you will face even stricture consequences that can add significantly to your jail time, license suspension, and your fees that you are sentenced to.
First Offense DUI
If you are convicted of a DUI, you will face some strict penalties. The first is that your driver’s license will be suspended from 30 to 120 days. Jail time will be a minimum of 2 days and you may spend up to 30 days in jail or you may be mandated to a considerable amount of community service. If you are convicted of an aggravated DUI charge, you will automatically spend 4 days in jail. As far as fines, you will be facing fines from $200 to $500.
Second Offense DUI
A second DUI offense within five years means that your penalties and consequences will increase exponentially. The first is that you will lose your license for a period of at least 30 days, but no more than 180 days. As far as jail time, you will have a minimum jails sentence of seven days and may face up to six months, depending upon your sentence and the aggravating factors. Fines will range from $350 to $500. In addition to all of this, you may be sentence to community service as well.
Third Offense DUI
If you are convicted of a third DUI in Kentucky, you will have your driver’s license suspended for a period of 24 to 36 months and will be facing jail time as well. This will be anywhere from one week to six months, and you will also be forced to spend 10 days to six months of doing community service as well. Fines will be from $500 to $1000 as well and this amount can be significantly increased with other aspects of your sentence, including drug/alcohol assessment, treatment, ignition interlock device rental, and more.
Fourth Offense DUI
Upon a fourth DUI conviction, you will move from a misdemeanor charge to a felony charge, which will follow you around for the rest of your life. You will have to spend at least 1 year in an alcohol or substance abuse treatment program and will have a minimum 120 day jail sentence, but this can double if you are convicted of a DUI with aggravating factors. In addition, you will lose your license for up to five years after your jail time and you will have to do community service as well. The fourth offense and future offenses will severely limit your freedom, as well as your harm your finances in a very big way.
If you choose to drink and drive, you need to realize that you are going to face some very strict penalties and consequences. You want to be sure that you have a lawyer to be sure that your rights are taken care of and that you are represented in the strongest way possible. The best answer to avoiding these consequences is to just not drink and drive in Kentucky or in any other state.