If you are under 21 and receive a charge of operating under the influence in Connecticut, or conversely, if you have a child charged with OUI in Connecticut, you may have concerns about the possible penalties you, he or she may face if convicted. Authorities do not have to prove that you have a particular amount of alcohol in your body to file such a charge against you or your underage child – instead, they simply must prove that you are under the influence enough for your driving ability to suffer.
Per Connecticut’s Department of Motor Vehicles, the state imposes harsh penalties on those who abuse drugs or alcohol before getting behind the wheel. More specifically, if you or your loved one is under 21 at the time of the arrest, you can anticipate a loss of driving privileges for 45 days. After that, you or your underage child will have to install an ignition interlock device on your vehicle for another year, which is a system that prevents you from drinking and driving by having you blow into a device every time you need to start your car.
If you are underage, or if your child is underage and receives a second charge of operating under the influence, you can plan on you, he or she losing driving privileges for either 45 days, or until the offender turns 21 – whichever is longer. Additionally, you or your child will have to have an ignition interlock device installed on your, his or her car for a three-year period.
This information about penalties faced by Connecticut’s underage OUI offenders is informational in nature and is not a substitute for legal advice.
