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According to Chicago, Illinois law, BAC (blood alcohol concentration) is what determines a DUI (driving under the influence) charge. You are legally "intoxicated" and will be charged with DUI if your BAC is measured by police at 0.08% or higher. If your BAC is at 0.05 or above but below 0.08, you are not considered intoxicated but you may still be charged with DUI (driving under influence) if the police can prove you are somehow impaired. Having a BAC of above 0.16% is considered "driving while under the extreme influence" and comes with harsher penalties than those for a normal DUI range. If you are found guilty of DUI, your punishment depends on your circumstances. If you take the BAC test and are found to be intoxicated, your license will be suspended for a minimum of 12 months, if you are over 21 years of age. If you are under 21, you will face a minimum of 2 years suspension. If this is a first-time DUI, the court might not suspend the driver's license. An alternative to license suspension is 'court supervision'. What this entails varies from case to case, but usually involves community service, and mandatory alcohol treatment. Compelling evidence is typically required in order for court supervision to be imposed. You will not be given another chance if you are charged with DUI again. Penalty for a second offense is a minimum 5-year license suspension if your first offense was less than 20 years ago. You will get a longer suspension and tougher penalties if you have a commercial driver's license in Illinois . You may also go to jail and/or be fined if charged with a DUI, in addition to having your license suspended. After your first offense, you can be fined up to $2,500, spend up to a year in jail, be assigned mandatory community service and have to install an ignition interlock device on your vehicle. Penalties for a second offense include longer community service periods and mandatory installation of an ignition interlock device. A third (or subsequent) DUI charge is called 'Aggravated DUI' and penalties include a 3-7 year jail term, a fine of up to $25,000 and a minimum 10-year driving ban. You'll be banned from driving for life after a fourth DUI charge. Penalties including a jail term without probation or conditional discharge come with a charge of driving under the extreme influence after a fourth offense, in addition to the same penalties for DUI and aggravated DUI. DUI with child endangerment can also be charged. In this charge, a child is someone in the car under 16. First-time offenders face 6 months in jail, 25 hours of community service, a fine of up to $2,500, and a one-year license suspension. If you are charged a second time (or greater), you'll face up to 3 years in jail, a fine of at least $2,500 and have your license suspended for five years. To find out how the DUI laws in Chicago work, it's important to discuss your case with a DUI Lawyer in Chicago right away. Obviously, the laws are difficult to interpret and you must have a professional working with you to develop the most successful defense strategy. When you start to look for an attorney to properly represent you, you need to find a DUI Attorney in Chicago who specializes in drunk driving defense. This will give you the best possible chance for success.Chicago DUI attorney Chicago DUI lawyer Chicago DUI law attorney
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