For many students, the four to five years they spend in a college can be a liberating experience. For the first time in many students’ lives, they can make their choices about when they come home, whom they hang out with and what activities they partake. For most, their time is occupied by a seemingly insurmountable mountain of classwork, homework, reading, job duties and extracurricular responsibilities. With the stress of so many responsibilities, many underage students turn to blowing off steam at parties by binge drinking.
Sure, these parties can be a fun, exciting way to meet new people and make new friends, but the easily accessible, almost endless supply of booze often cause students to drink more than they intend to. So, belly full of liquid courage, you justify your choice to drive home by the fact that you drank lots of water, or ate a whole meal, or threw up most of the alcohol in your stomach. Whatever the reason, you get behind the wheel of your car and drive home. Before long, you are pulled over for suspected DUI.
After failing a chemical test, you are charged with DUI. You may be wondering, what now, how does this affect my college career? In this blog, our Santa Barbara DUI attorney explains how a DUI conviction could affect your college life.
Stricter DUI Policies for Underage Drivers
California is one of the states with a zero tolerance policy for underage drivers. A driver pulled over on suspected DUI who is at least 21 years old is considered driving under the influence if they blow a .08% BAC or higher while a driver under the age of 21 is considered driving under the influence if their BAC is .01% or higher. .01% is an extremely small amount of alcohol consumption! For example, if you are an underage 125lb female, and you ingest a single beer, then drive home your BAC level would be around .02% which is still considered DUI.
In addition to stricter BAC limits, you could also face harsher Admin Per Se penalties, which mean longer suspension times, higher fines and stricter DUI programs.
University Alcohol Abuse Policies
Depending on the college you attend, there could disciplinary action taken against you should you be convicted of a DUI. Your college could exclude you from specific campus activities; take away privileges, suspend, or dismiss you. If you are a recipient of any financial aid, grants or scholarships, you may be required to report your conviction to the program within five business days for review.
Are you a college student charged with DUI?
If you attend the University of California Santa Barbara, Cal State Channel Islands, Cal Lutheran or any other college in the surrounding area and you are facing DUI charges, contacting a qualified Santa Barbara DUI attorney is a critical step on your path to successfully navigating the charges.
We are ready to work with you. Give us a call today.