Here in Michigan, most of us know that drunk driving with a bodily alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or higher qualifies as “drunk” and (if 21 years old or older; .02 or higher if under 21 years old) may very well result in an arrest for driving under the influence. What you may not know is that Michigan has enhanced penalties for anyone caught driving “super drunk.” A driver is Super Drunk if he/she has a BAC of .17 or higher.
Let’s look at the some of the penalty differences between Drunk and Super Drunk. These penalties apply to a person who has not had any other drunk driving offense in the past 7 years. If prior offenses within 7 years do exist, penalties are much more extreme than those listed under Super Drunk.
Drunk Driving 1st Offense
- Up to $500 fine
- Up to 93 days in jail
- Up to 6 months suspended license(restricted license available after 30 days)
- 6 points on driver’s license
Super Drunk Driving 1st Offense
- Up to $700 fine
- Up to 180 days in jail
- Driver license suspended for first 45 days, followed by 320 days restricted license with ignition interlock that requires the driver to take and pass a breathalyzer before the car will start
- 6 points on driver’s license
- Mandatory alcohol treatment program
The penalties and costs for those found Drunk versus Super Drunk almost double for Super Drunk. We all knew it was expensive and imposing to face a standard drunk driving offense. However, with the Super Drunk standards, those penalties and costs become quite oppressive and have a much longer impact!
Of course, your best course of action is to abstain from all alcohol before getting behind the wheel. However, in the event you are found Super Drunk or Drunk, you are facing penalties and costs too extreme not to have an experienced attorney on your side fighting to mitigate your exposure. We have the experience to effectively and efficiently counsel you through any DUI. You can’t afford not to call us – we know the intricacies of Michigan’s DUI laws.
