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A DUI (driving under the influence) charge is determined by blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in Chicago, Illinois. You'll be chaged with a DUI if your BAC is 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. Harsher penalties apply if your BAC is higher than 0.16% in which case you will be charged with "driving while under the extreme influence." Each case's circumstances determine DUI penalties. If your BAC shows you are intoxicated and you are over 21, your penalty will be a 12-month license suspension. A minimum 2-year suspension for offenders under 21. First-time offenders may not get a license suspension however. 'Court supervision' may be ordered by the judge instead. This could include community service, mandatory alcohol treatment, etc., and varies by case. Court supervisions are generally only imposed because of compelling evidence, and if you are charged with DUI again you will not be given another chance. Penalty for a second offense is a minimum 5-year license suspension if your first offense was less than 20 years ago. Harsher penalties and longer suspensions typically result if you have a commercial driver's license in Illinois. Not only will your license be suspended after a DUI charge, you could also be fined and/or go to jail. If you are a first-time offender, your penalties can include: mandatory community service, a jail term of up to a year, a fine of up to $2,500 and you may have to install an ignition interlock device on your vehicle. Second-time offenders face a much longer community service period, and will certainly require an ignition interlock device. A DUI charge a third time (or greater) is called 'Aggravated DUI'. This charge comes with a fine of up to $25,000, a jail term of three to seven years and you are not allowed to drive for a minimum of ten years. You'll be banned from driving for life after a fourth DUI charge. Driving under the extreme influence carries the same penalties as DUI and Aggravated DUI, except a fourth offensive carries a jail term with no probation or conditional discharge. Finally, you may be charged with DUI with Child Endangerment. A 'child' is classified as someone in the vehicle under 16 years of age. Penalties for a first-time offense include 25 hours community service, a fine of up to $2,500, a one-year license suspension and 6 months in jail. Second-time (or greater) offenders face up to 3 years in jail, a 5-year license suspension, and a fine of at least $2,500. To find out how the DUI laws in Chicago work, you must speak with a DUI Lawyer in Chicago as soon as possible. Obviously, the laws are difficult to interpret and you must have a professional working with you to develop the most successful defense strategy. When looking to hire a DUI defense attorney, try to find a DUI Attorney in Chicago who focuses his practice on drunk driving defense. You are more likely to have a successful outcome if you hire an attorney with this type of expertise.Chicago DUI attorney Chicago DUI lawyer Chicago DUI law attorney
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