1) Drinking and Driving:
1. Alcohol is involved in more than 40 percent of the traffic crashes in which someone is killed. If you drink alcohol, even a little, your chances of being in an accident are much greater than if you had not had any alcohol.
2. No one can drink alcohol and drive safely, even if they have been driving for many years. New drivers are more affected by alcohol than experienced drivers because they are still learning to drive.
Why is Drinking and Driving So Dangerous?
1. Alcohol reduces all of the important skills you need to drive safely. Alcohol goes from your stomach to your blood and to all parts of your body. Alcohol affects those areas of your brain that control judgment and skill. This is one reason why drinking alcohol is so dangerous: it affects your judgment. You do not know when you have had too much to drink until it is too late. It is a little like a sunburn, by the time you feel it, it is already too late. Good judgment is important to driving.
2. Alcohol slows your reflexes and reaction time, reduces your ability to see clearly, and makes you less alert. As the amount of alcohol in your body increases, your judgment worsens and your skills decrease. You will have trouble judging distances, speeds, and the movement of other vehicles. You will also have trouble controlling your vehicle.
If You Drink, When Can You Drive?
1. The best advice is if you drink alcohol – do not drive. Any amount of alcohol can affect your driving. You may be impaired and could be arrested for operating under the influence of alcohol. In Connecticut, people under 21 years old could be considered impaired after having only one drink of alcohol.
2. An alcohol drink is:
1.5 oz. of 80-proof liquor (one shot glass) straight or with a mixer,
12 oz. of beer (a regular size can, bottle, mug, or glass), or a
5 oz. glass of wine.
There is no way to sober up quickly. Coffee, fresh air, exercise, or cold showers will not help. Time is the only thing that will sober you up.
- There are ways of dealing with social drinking situations. Arrange to go with two or more persons and agree which one of you will not drink alcohol. You can rotate among the group to be a “designated driver.” You can also use public transportation or a cab if available. Do NOT drink and drive!
2) Drugs and Driving
1. Besides alcohol, there are many other drugs that can affect a person’s ability to drive safely. These drugs can have effects like those of alcohol, or even worse. This is true of many prescription drugs, and even many over-the-counter drugs.
2. Drugs taken for headaches, colds, hay fever or other allergies or those to calm nerves can make a person drowsy and can affect their driving. Other prescription drugs can affect your reflexes, judgment, vision and alertness in ways similar to alcohol.
3. If you are driving, check the label before you take a drug for warnings about its effect(s). If you are not sure whether it is safe to take the drug and drive, ask your doctor or pharmacist about any side effects.
4. Never drink alcohol while you are taking other drugs. These drugs could multiply the effects of alcohol or have additional effects of their own. These effects not only reduce your ability to be a safe driver, but could also cause serious health problems – even death.
3) Your License and Law
1- Alcohol and the Law
1- If you are arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, you will be asked to
submit to a blood, breath, or urine test, which shows your blood alcohol content (BAC). If you fail this test, your operator’s license will be suspended for at least 45 days.
2- You will be required to install and maintain an ignition interlock device (IID) as a condition of reinstatement. The IID will be required for at least 6 months or possibly more, depending on the number of prior offenses on your driving record.
3- If you are under 21 years of age, you are subject to “zero tolerance.” The law provides penalties for driving with any measurable amount of alcohol in your blood, defined as two hundredths of one percent (.02%) or more on both public roads and private property.
4. If you are placed under arrest for DUI, you may be asked to submit to testing. If your test results are .02 percent or higher, the police will make a report to the Commissioner and your operator’s license will be suspended for at least 45 days. You will be required to install and maintain an ignition interlock device (IID) as a condition of reinstatement. The IID will be required for at least 1 year or possibly more, depending on the number of prior offenses on your driving record.
5. Regardless of age, if you refuse to take a test, your operator’s license will be suspended for at least 45 days. You will be required to install and maintain an ignition interlock device (IID) as a condition of reinstatement. The IID will be required for at least 1 year or possibly more, depending on the number of prior offenses on your driving record.
4) Drinking and Driving
1- Suspensions for 16- and 17-Year-Old Drivers who do not have a driver’s license and teens with learner’s permits. DMV will suspend the driver’s license or privilege to obtain a license of a
16- or 17-year-old for any conviction of violating a teen driving restriction, speeding, reckless driving, street racing or using a cell phone or text messaging device.
5) VIOLATIONS:
1- Graduated Driver’s License (GDL)/ Learner's permit violations such as:
1. Driving curfew
2. Operating public service vehicle
3. More passengers than seat belts
4. Carrying passengers on a motorcycle less than six months after obtaining a motorcycle endorsement
First time:
30-Day Suspension
$175 license restoration fee, court fines.
Second time:
6-Month Suspension or until age 18, whichever is longer
$175 license restoration fee, court fines.
2- Use of Cell Phone
Text Messaging
First: same 30. 175
Second: 90, 175
Third: 6 months, 175
3- Speeding
60, 175
90, 175
6 months, 175
4- Reckless Driving
FirstL
6-Month Suspension
$175 license restoration fee
court fines or imprisonment
of not more than 30 days,
or both.
Second:
1-Year Suspension
$175 license restoration fee,
court fines or imprisonment
of not more than one year,
or both.
Third:
1-Year Suspension
$175 license restoration fee,
court fines or imprisonment
of not more than one year,
or both
5- Street Racing :
Same as above
6) Youthful Offender Status
Someone under the age of 18 who commits the following cannot be considered a youthful offender:
• Negligent homicide with a motor vehicle
• Evading responsibility following an accident that results in a death or serious injury
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Any youth adjudicated as a youthful offender for the following offenses shall have his or her record disclosed to DMV for the purpose of imposing a driver’s license suspension or privilege to obtain a license:
• Reckless driving
• Operating while under suspension
• Evading responsibility following an accident involving property damage or non-serious injury
• Street racing
• Disregarding a police officer’s signal to stop or increasing speed to elude an officer
Operator Retraining Program for Repeat Offenders
1. The DMV also has a program for repeat offenders who commit moving violations. It is called the Operator Retraining Program and covers the principles of motor vehicle operation, how attitude contributes to the behavior found in aggressive driving, and the need to practice safe driving behavior.
2. Anyone age 24 or younger who commits 2 or more moving violations or suspension violations must complete the DMVcertified operator retraining program.
3. A motorist who is 25 years old or older and who has 3 or more such convictions is required to attend and successfully pass a certified operator retraining program.
4. The following list is some of the offenses that may require a 16-or 17-year-old to take the retraining program:
• Driving in violation of learner’s permit requirements.
• Driving in violation of Graduated Driver’s License Laws (such as passenger restriction and driving curfew laws).
• Using a cell phone or other mobile electronic device outside of permitted uses. By law, drivers under 18 cannot use a cell phone or mobile electronic device, even if it is “hands-free.”
After completing operator retraining, an additional moving violation within 3 years of the completion date will result in a license suspension of at least 30 days.
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