The residents of Wheeling and surrounding areas such as Moundsville and Glen Dale include young people who attend the local high schools and colleges. Many also drive, and law officers arrest some for driving under the influence of alcohol.
One of the penalties for underage DUI in the state of West Virginia is license revocation for up to 60 days. Parents may not be aware that in order to get the license back, their son or daughter must also complete a safety and treatment program at his or her own expense.
A common problem
Having too many drinks at a social function can happen to anyone, including senior citizens and professionals such as doctors and lawyers. However, parents should be aware that West Virginia enforces the Zero Tolerance Law, meaning that anyone younger than 21 can receive a DUI charge if he or she has a blood alcohol content level of 0.02 up to 0.08 percent.
Binge drinking
Binge drinking is very popular among young people. This involves having several alcoholic beverages within a short amount of time: five drinks for men and four for women. Data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that as many as 38 million people binge drink at least four times a month. The CDC estimates that about 80,000 people die each year as a result of this activity.
Implied consent
West Virginia enforces the Implied Consent law: Anyone who drives on the state’s roads is considered to have given consent to a chemical alcohol breath test, which will show the amount of alcohol content in a person’s bloodstream. One of the state’s top priorities is to keep drunk drivers off the road, including the young people in our area who have imbibed large quantities of alcohol.