Virginia “ZERO TOLERANCE” Law for Underage Drinking and Driving
Virginia law VA Code 18.2-266.1 punishes juveniles and persons under the age of 21 who are caught driving after illegally consuming alcohol with a BAC between .02 and .07. Driving after illegally consuming alcohol is punished as a Class 1 misdemeanor charge in Virginia criminal code. Punishment must include forfeiture of drivers license for 1 year from date of conviction, a mandatory minimum fine of $500 or 50 hours of community service. Alcohol safety education classes are not mandatory but are optional if the juvenile wishes to seek a restricted driver’s license.
Juveniles under age 18 who are prosecuted in the Juvenile court system may be eligible for expungement of the charge. Persons over age 18 are prosecuted as adults in the District Court system and will have a criminal record upon conviction of the underage drinking and driving 18.2-266.1 misdemeanor charge.
If your BAC was above .08, then even being under age 21 will not save you from the 18.2-266 DWI punishment.
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This article is written by top rated Virginia defense attorney Marina Medvin. She successfully represents individuals charged with alcohol-related arrests in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Vienna and Falls Church. In addition to her Juris Doctorate degree, Ms. Medvin has a Bachelor of Science Honors Degree from Penn State, where she graduated in the Top 10% of her class. Both a legal and a science background is recommended for defense of alcohol cases because of the scientific and chemical analysis of the Blood Alcohol Content. Please call for an attorney consultation request.
Va Law § 18.2-266.1. Persons under age 21 driving after illegally consuming alcohol; penalty.