It is that time of year again....Proms and Graduations are on the minds of students across the state. While these are certainly joyous occasions representing mile-stones, not only educationally but also in the quest of all young persons to become full fledged adults, history has shown us the dangerous situations that can occur when these celebrations are mixed with alcohol and lapses of responsibility. Enter the DUI.
To ensure the safety of our high school and college students it is vital that parents become involved and remind them of the consequences of drinking and driving as well as participating in recreational drug use. Many DUI clients tell us how little they actually drank when they received their DUI citation. It simply doesn't take much to put you over the legal limit and become a danger to yourself and others.
To be eligible to receive a DUI citation in the state of Oklahoma, your blood alcohol content (sometimes referred to as your "BAC") must only be a 0.08. This level is defined as illegal per se, which means that regardless of the circumstances, your actions are unequivocally illegal. Many factors can affect your BAC, including body weight and the total time period in which alcohol is consumed. To give you a rough example (not to be followed or experimented with) a typical male weighing 200 lbs. will pass a BAC of 0.08 by consuming 4 beers over the course of an hour.
An arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs can affect you the rest of your life. The fines, penalties and required classes can cost thousands of dollars. Multiple offenses can lead to the loss of driving privileges and jail time. And these are the minor consequences.
INNOCENT PEOPLE CAN DIE.
In short: DON'T DO IT.
PARENTS: BE INVOLED IN PROM AND GRADUATION PLANS.
FRIENDS OF STUDENTS: DON'T LET OTHERS DRINK AND DRIVE.
