Even the most sensible people can sometimes exercise poor judgement, or think that they are sober enough to drive after a few drinks. Drunk, intoxicated, or even buzzed drivers are often pulled over by law enforcement and arrested on DUI charges. Oftentimes,these individuals have no idea what to do because they are first time DUI offenders. A DUI conviction can have a profound impact on your life beyond the obvious criminal consequences, such as jail time and fines. Many first time DUI offenders are stunned by the additional consequences of a DUI.

DUI Facts: The Profile of the Average DUI Offender

According to the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State, the average DUI offender in Illinois is a male around the age of 34 years old, who is intoxicated behind the wheel between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. This typical DUI offender generally hasa blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of twice the legal limit (legal limit being 0.08 BAC in Illinois for drivers over the age of 21). Ninety percent of the drivers who were arrested in 2014 for DUI lost their driving privileges as a result, and 86 percent of those drivers who were arrested were first time offenders.

DUI checkpoints are common in Rolling Meadows and the surrounding areas. Law enforcement will setup a checkpoint—a temporary stop—to seeif a driveris intoxicated on drugs or alcohol while driving.However, theproblem with DUI checkpoints is that the police officers who man these stopsmaytake too many liberties when it comes to investigating potentially intoxicated drivers. Therefore, itis important to understand your rightsif you are stopped.

You Do Not Have to Answer Questions

Often,drivers do not realize that they are not required to answer a police officer’s questions when stopped at a DUI checkpoint. When a police officer asks where you wereearlier in the evening, or where you are going, you do not have to answer. Police officersaskthese questions to gather evidence against you, and you do not have to incriminate yourself. If you are not under arrest, then the police have no right to interrogate you. As such, you can politely decline to answer their questions at a DUI checkpoint.

Until recently, it was illegal to drive while under the influence of marijuana, regardless of how much marijuana was in your system. Illinois law used to employ a zero tolerance approach when it came to driving under the influence of marijuana. Specifically, if any amount of marijuana was detected in the suspected drugged driver’s system, the driver could be charged with a marijuana DUI. But the recent passage of Illinois bill SB2228 changes things and puts a measurable limit on when an Illinois driver is too high to drive.

Under the old law, prosecutors were not required to demonstrate that the driver was actually intoxicated by marijuana at the time of their DUI arrest, according to a recent article in the Pekin Daily Times. Instead, the prosecution only had to show that marijuana, even in trace amounts, was detected in the driver’s system. A blood test could be used to analyze a blood sample for any trace of THC, which is the active psychoactive chemical ingredient in marijuana.

A Zero Tolerance Policy Is Patently Unfair

When you are suspected of driving while under the influence, law enforcement may request that you submit to blood alcohol concentration testing. While this testing often takes the form of a breathalyzer test, where a breath sample is analyzed for its alcohol content, sometimes blood testing is requested to determine a suspected drunk driver’s blood alcohol concentration. Blood samples are taken in one of two ways, either as part of a DUI kit that is completed at a hospital or as part of an emergency blood draw.

• DUI Kit Blood Samples. When blood is taken as part of a DUI kit, the arresting police officer must request the blood test and the driver must consent to the blood draw. The test must be done at a hospital by a qualified medical professional (i.e., a registered nurse, licensed physician, certified paramedic or trained phlebotomist). Urine samples are often also collected when a driver completes a DUI kit.
• Emergency Blood Draws. Emergency blood draws that are taken while a suspected drunk driver is receiving emergency medical treatment and can be used as evidence in DUI cases. These are blood samples that are taken as a matter of routine when a person receives emergency medical services.

Must I Consent to Blood Testing?

Under Illinois implied consent law, anyone who uses the state’s public roads automatically gives consent to chemical testing in suspected DUI situations. However, drivers do have a right to refuse such tests, but there will be consequences for doing so. In particular, a driver that refuse testing will have their driver’s license suspended for a certain period of time.

Being charged with a first DUI is bad enough, but being charged with a second, third or subsequent DUI can be worse. DUIs are serious matters, and anyone who has been charged with a DUI needs to seek the help of an experienced Illinois DUI lawyer immediately. The differences between facing DUI charges as a first time offender and facing DUI charges as a repeat offender are striking. Illinois law takes repeat DUI offenses very seriously. For instance:

• When you are facing a third or subsequent DUI charge, you are facing a felony charge under 625 ILCS 5/11-501(d)(2)(B);
• A second DUI conviction within 20 years of a first DUI conviction will result in driver’s license revocation for a period of five years; and
• A third DUI conviction will result in driver’s license revocation for a period of 10 years.

When it comes to DUIs, the Illinois courts can look back into your driving history for prior DUI convictions; indeed, they can look back to when you first were granted driving privileges. This means that any prior DUI conviction in Illinois will be taken into consideration when determining your punishment for a second or subsequent DUI conviction.

Any number of aggravating factors can make things worse for you when you are facing a second or subsequent DUI. For instance, having a blood alcohol concentration twice the legal limit (the legal limit is 0.08 percent), driving while under the influence with a child under the age of 16 in the vehicle, or being involved in an accident that causes severe bodily harm or death to another can all exacerbate the penalties you may face if convicted. An experienced DUI defense lawyer understands what is at stake for you and will work diligently to get your charges dropped or reduced and will work hard to ensure that you receive fair treatment under the law.