There are a handful of holidays that police target for DUI arrests. Can you guess what they are? One is obviously July 4th. The others are New Year’s Eve, St. Patrick’s Day, and Cinco de Mayo. All three are associated with day drinking, celebrations, and a headache in the morning. They are also associated with an uptick in DUI charges in and around Chicago.
The Fourth of July remains one of the deadliest days of the year for American drivers. From July 2nd to July 6th, nearly 500 people died in motor vehicle accidents in 2020. In 41% of those cases, one of the drivers was impaired. In terms of drunk driving deaths, only New Year’s Eve produces more.
Getting Arrested Over a Holiday Weekend
You really do not want to be arrested over a holiday weekend because you could end up spending the entire weekend in a holding cell. Additionally, police set up checkpoints on holidays that are heavy-drinking holidays to ensure drivers are not operating their vehicles under the influence. Law enforcement will be hyper-vigilant when it comes to DUI arrests this weekend.
Understanding Illinois’ Approach to DUI
Illinois takes a mandatory minimum approach for subsequent DUIs. However, a first DUI does not generally mean the charge is going to destroy your life. While you can face a potential one-year jail sentence, that is more likely to happen when someone is injured or killed in an accident you caused.
Once you are on your second or third DUI, the mandatory minimums start to kick in. For a second offense, there is a mandatory minimum of five days in jail and 240 hours of community service. For a third offense, the offender will most likely be charged with a class 2 felony and can face up to three years in prison with a maximum of seven years. A fifth DUI violation is a class 1 felony with a minimum sentence of four years and a maximum of 15. A sixth violation is a class-X felony, with a potential prison penalty of 6-30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. This is the highest charge you can receive short of being charged with first-degree murder.
In addition to these minimums for simple DUI, you can be charged with aggravating factors such as having a BAC more than twice the legal limit (.16) or having a child in the vehicle at the time of a DUI.
Administrative Penalties for DUI
There are three classes of penalties for DUI — criminal, administrative, and civil. Criminal penalties relate to fines and prison. Administrative penalties relate to driver’s license suspensions and revocations. Civil penalties often include restitution made to another driver for property damage, injury, or death
Illinois punishes DUI, especially second offenses, much more harshly than other states. The stakes are high if you have been charged. You will need an attorney to ensure that you are not convicted based on an officer’s subjective observations or a dysfunctional or erroneously calibrated breathalyzer device.
Talk to a Cook County DUI Attorney Today
Glasgow & Olsson help defend good people who have made mistakes. We do not want to see your life destroyed over one night of fun. When you need a DUI lawyer, experience matters. Call today to schedule an appointment, and we can begin preparing your defense immediately.