DUI Charges Come with Harsh Punishments in Ohio

Licenses are revoked immediately for first-time and repeat drunk drivers.

Ohio is known for having some of the strictest drunk driving laws in the country, primarily due to the administrative license suspension (ALS) law.

Upheld by the Ohio Supreme Court in 1996, ALS states that any motorist who refuses to take a sobriety test, or who exceeds the legal limit, will lose their license immediately. While research shows that first-time drunk drivers tend to be nearly as impaired as repeat drunk drivers (with blood alcohol levels of 0.16%, compared with 0.18%), punishment for repeat drunk driving offenders are much firmer.

Additional laws passed in 1996 and in 2000 were enacted with the goal of minimizing repeat drunk driving offenses. Depending on previous offenses, a motorist can lose their license from 90 days to five years, and face fines between $200-$10,000 with the potential of jail time from three days to several years.

 A 47-year-old Beaver Dam woman was recently sentenced to prison for 54 months for committing her sixth offense of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Whether you are faced with your first DUI arrest or your third, the importance of having an experienced attorney cannot be overstated.