Drunk Driving Penalties

• Fines and Imprisonment
• Administrative License Suspension/Revocation
• Vehicle Confiscation
• Ignition Interlock Device
• Mandatory Alcohol Education and Assessment/Treatment

Fines and Imprisonment

A first-time Driving Under the Influence (DUI) conviction in Massachusetts is
punishable with up to 21/2 years in jail, license suspension, and fines up to $5,000.  

First DUI Conviction

Fine: $500 to $5,000
Prison: Up to 2.5 years
Driver's license suspension: 1 Year

Second OUI Offense

Fine: $600 to $10,000
Prison: 30 days to 2.5 years
Driver's license suspension: 2 years
$500 to reinstate your license, and take your written and road test over again.

Third OUI Offense (felony conviction)

Fine: $1,000 to $15,000
Prison: 150 days to five years (150 days must be served)
Suspension: 8 years
$1,000 to reinstate your license, and take your written and road test over again.

Fourth OUI Offense (felony conviction)

Fine: $1,500 to $25,000
Prison: one to five years (one year must be served)
Suspension: 10 years
$1,000 to reinstate your license, and take your written and road test over again.

Fifth OUI Offense (felony conviction)
Fine: $20,000 to $50,000
Prison: two to five years (two years must be served)
Suspension: lifetime

Administrative License Suspension/Revocation

Administrative License Suspension/Revocation is a minimum mandatory penalty for convicted DUI drivers with a blood-alcohol concentration above Massachusetts maximum allowable level of .08 percent, and for Massachusetts drivers who are subject to the implied consent laws for refusing to submit a breath or blood sample for testing blood-alcohol content or other prohibited drugs.  Drivers face driving suspension or temporary/permanent loss of driving privileges. In Massachusetts, the initial penalty for a first time DUI offense is a mandatory suspension of 180 days (drivers under 21 years old suffer a 3 year suspension). For a second offense, it is minimum three years and for a third offense, a five-year license suspension.  The RMV will not issue a hardship license for administrative license suspensions.

Vehicle Impoundment

Massachusetts impounds vehicles and recovery of the vehicle by the owner can be costly. Massachusetts also institutes forfeiture actions against felony offenders (third or subsequent offense) seeking to confiscate any automobile used by a repeat drunk driver.

Ignition Interlock Device

According to the Massachusetts general law, Chapter 90: Section 24: Driving while under influence of intoxicating liquor; second and subsequent offenses; require a mandatory restriction on a hardship license granted by the registrar under this subparagraph shall be that such person have an ignition interlock device installed on each vehicle owned, each vehicle leased and each vehicle operated by the licensee for the duration of the hardship license.

Mandatory Alcohol Education and Assessment/Treatment

After conviction on a DUI charge, a person may be required to enter a drug or alcohol treatment program in order to regain their driver’s license.  For a first conviction, this involves the 16 week Driver Alcohol Education Program.  For a second conviction, this may require the completion of a 14-day inpatient program.

If you live in the following MA localities, we may be able to represent you in your OUI case: Norfolk, Barnstable, Bristol, Plymouth, and Middlesex counties, and the towns of Middleboro, Dorchester, Dorchester Heights, Brockton, Stoughton, Easton, Whitman, Quincy, Abington, Holbrook, Chelsea, Canton, Cambridge, Brookline, Revere, Braintree, Bridgewater, Avon, Mansfield, Lowell, Kingston, Hanson, Franklin, Foxborough, Raynham, Framinghham, Pembroke, Rockland, Newton, Halifax, Weymouth, Whitman, Sharon, Milton, and Walpole.

Call the Law offices of Ed Sharkansky today and begin a rigorough defense of the DUI charges you're facing. A top Boston DUI Lawyer is the best asset you have.