Other DUI Penalties

Used to discourage people from driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the following laws apply in most states:

• - Mandatory sanctions: in some cases, a court or agency (such as the Department of Motor Vehicles) automatically issues a specific penalty for a given violation. For example, in some states a person's refusal to take a blood alcohol test results in a one year license revocation.
• - Administrative License Revocation (ALR) laws: these laws are used by most states in addition to revoking or suspending a person's license if they are convicted of a DUI. There are many factors that contribute to the length of the suspension or revocation such as which state it occurred in, whether there are prior convictions, whether or not the BAC test was refused and other factors.
• - Vehicle sanctions: legislators use vehicle sanctions to keep a DUI convict from using a personal vehicle for a set amount of time or to make changes to the vehicle in order to discourage repeat offenses. These may include impoundment, registration suspension, and confiscation and sale of the vehicle. Some states require convicts (especially repeat offenders) to attach an interlock device to their steering wheel. This device prevents the car from starting unless the driver can pass a breath test.