What happens if you get a DUI in California under the age of 21?

So you get a DUI and you’re under the age of 21. What do you do?

We get that question asked a lot of times from people who are under 21, they get arrested for a DUI and they don’t know what to do, or a lot of times from a concerned parent whose child is here in San Diego, gets arrested for a DUI ,and just doesn’t know who to turn to.

And you might also be asking yourself, well, you know, maybe the judge will be lenient on the person because of the age, because that person happens to be under 21. Well unfortunately, think again. If you’re facing a DUI and you’re under the age of 21, you could be looking at more strict consequences. And what I’m specifically referring to is your driver’s license suspension.

If you get a DUI and you’re under 21 you could be looking at up to a one year driver’s license suspension without restriction.

A lot of times clients are very concerned about the driver’s license suspension because if you’re not allowed to get a restricted license, then of course it affects you in so many different ways in terms of not being able to drive to and from school, to and from classes, or to and from work and within the scope of your work.

So that’s why it’s that much more important to make sure that you retain an experienced criminal defense attorney, whether it’s my firm or another firm, to be able to navigate through the system, especially when it comes to trying to salvage the driver’s license.

Another thing to consider if you’re under 21 is that if you get a DUI, there’s something that’s called a zero tolerance that applies to you. So what that means is that even if your blood alcohol level was less than 0.08% or greater, you could still be on the hook because under California law, even if you have 0.01% of a blood alcohol concentration. You could still be facing consequences when it comes to a DUI because of the zero tolerance law.

So if you’re in a situation where you’re under 21 and you get a DUI, please make sure to pick up the phone and give us a call and we’d be more than happy to give you a legal consultation.