Teen DWI Charges and Zero Tolerance

The end of the school year, proms and graduation parties often bring a rise in high-profile accidents involving young drivers. It's also an annual opportunity to inform young drivers about their rights and responsibilities under the law.

High schools around the state bring in presenters such as the New York State Police to show students how drinking can affect their driving skills and use vehicle rollover simulators to display the dangers of accidents. New York laws back up these warnings with a zero tolerance law for underage DWI.

Drivers under 21 years of age who test positive for a minimal amount of blood-alcohol content are subject to stiff penalties, including losing their licenses for as long as one year. Under Sean's Law, judges can promptly suspend the license of a driver under 18 at arraignment, even without blood alcohol evidence. But the long-term consequences of a conviction can be much worse.

An underage DWI conviction can have a serious impact on other aspects of a young person's life, from extracurricular activities and jobs to future educational opportunities. For that reason, parents must be just as vigilant about protecting their child's legal rights as they are about educating them of the dangers they face.

The low threshold of intoxication for underage DWI - .02 percent - means that all the more attention must be given to testing results and the potential for false positive readings. A New York DWI attorney can explain this and all other aspects if a teen driver has been caught up in a prom night misunderstanding.