High BAC

Ventura DUI – High Blood Alcohol Level

The notoriously tough penalties involved in a Ventura DUI case are potentially even worse in cases with an elevated BAC. The additional potential punishment due to an elevated BAC begins if one's alcohol level is above a 0.15%, becomes more aggravated with an alcohol level above 0.20%, and can become even more extreme with an alcohol level above 0.30%.

BAC > .15%

The Ventura District Attorney's Office routinely files special allegations in cases involving a BAC above .15%. These special allegations carry extra punishment, including a longer alcohol school and additional, even more stringent terms of probation.

Unless you are able to have the special allegation stricken, you will have to complete a 9 month Drinking Driver Program if your BAC is above 0.15% in a Ventura County DUI. The 9 month program costs nearly $1000 more than the standard 3 month program, and your driver's license will not become fully valid until you complete it.

In addition to the 9 month program, your probation will also include alcohol and abstain terms, which prevent you from using or possessing alcohol or being anyplace where alcohol is the chief item of sale, such as bars, nightclubs and liquor stores.

BAC > .20%

The Ventura District Attorney's Office files the same or addtional special allegations in cases involving a BAC above .20%. These special allegations carry even more extra punishment, including the longer alcohol school, even more stringent terms of probation, and can even include mandatory jail time.

Unless you are able to have the special allegation stricken, you will have to complete a 9 month Drinking Driver Program if your BAC is above 0.20% in a Ventura County DUI. The 9 month program costs nearly $1000 more than the standard 3 month program, and your driver's license will not become fully valid until you complete it.

BAC > .30%

In Ventura DUI cases with extremely elevated alcohol levels, such as those above 0.30%, the judge may impose requirements upon you while your case is pending and even more stringent terms of probation. Some of those requirements may include mandatory attendance of AA classes while your case is pending, and your probation may include the mandatory installation of an Ignition Interlock Device in any vehicle you own or operate.

Ventura DUI Attorney Jasen Nielsen

Your BAC level has no direct impact on whether you were legally pulled over, detained and then arrested. As a result, even if your case involves an elevated BAC, it still may be possible to attack your case on legal grounds.

In cases that cannot be won, I have had frequent success mitigating Ventura DUI cases with an elevated BAC, often removing the longer alcohol school and additional, more stringent terms of probation. If you have been arrested for a DUI in Ventura County, please contact Ventura DUI attorney Jasen Nielsen directly at (805)564-4DUI.