It’s illegal in New Jersey to obtain, possess, or consume alcohol if you are under the age of 21, so if an underage driver is stopped and is found to have a blood alcohol concentration as low as 0.01{74bbbd36a4df8b83bd1805c8c4f34bcc3063e84848f392c2fd8bb03fcdaa883e}, they can be charged with underage drunk driving under N.J.S.A. 39:4-50.14.
The statute is written to explicitly allow any penalties levied upon conviction to be in addition to any penalties that may flow from charges of underage drinking, misrepresenting one’s age to purchase alcohol, or other charges that may stem from the incident.
Penalties for underage drunk driving include a license suspension of up to 90 days, performing up to 30 days of community service, attending the IDRC program, and paying fines, fees, and penalties that may run to many hundreds of dollars.
In addition, many insurers impose a lifetime ban for underage drivers who get a DUI, and rates for those who will offer policies may be inflated as long as a decade later.
Attorney Matthew Reisig defends young New Jersey drivers against harsh penalties for simple mistakes they’ve made.
Call 732-625-9661 today and speak to an experienced New Jersey Drunk Driving defense lawyer for free.
