DWI in Austin?
When it comes to being charged or convicted of a DWI in the city of Austin, Texas, there are many different penalties that are involved depending on the severity of the situation itself.
Here are the most common penalties that a driver can face:
*For driving under the influence, a driver can face a $500 fine and a suspension of their driver’s license of up to 180 days.
*For a first DWI offense, a driver can face a $2,000 fine, a jail sentence of between 3 and 180 days, a suspension of their driver’s license of between 90 days and one year, and a Class B misdemeanor on their record.
In the event of a previous DWI charge, this is something that can end up impacting not only a new DWI charge, but also the penalties that are involved with a new charge as well.
Here are the penalties that are generally involved with a second-offense DWI:
*For a second-offense DWI, a driver can face a $4,000 fine, a jail sentence of between 30 days and 1 year, a suspension of their driver’s license of between 180 days and 2 years, and a Class A misdemeanor on their record.
If a driver ends up getting a third DWI charge, this will lead to them being charged with a third-degree felony, which can lead to much more severe penalties.
Here are the penalties that are generally involved with a third-offense DWI:
*For a third-offense DWI, a driver can face a $10,000 fine, a prison sentence of between two and ten years, a suspension of their driver’s license of between 180 days and two years, and a felony conviction on their record.
One other factor that is able to greatly impact a DWI charge in Austin, as well as all of the penalties involved with it, is a DWI with a child as a passenger in the vehicle. Under Texas state law, a child passenger is defined as someone younger than the age of 15.
Here are the penalties that are generally involved with this type of charge:
*If a driver ends up getting a DWI with a child passenger charge, the charge itself could be escalated to a state jail felony if the passenger under the age of 15 is present, a jail sentence of 180 days to two years, and a fine of up to $10,000.
Another charge that can result in increased penalties is an excessive BAC DWI, meaning if a driver exhibits a BAC of 0.15% or higher can end up being charged with a Class A misdemeanor; however, if the driver is a first-time offender, the charge will typically be a Class B misdemeanor.
Here are the penalties that are generally involved with this type of charge:
*If a driver ends up getting an excessive BAC DWI charge, they can end up with a fine of up to $4,000, a jail sentence of up to one year, or both penalties.
*If a driver is a first-time offender with an open container, they can end up with a fine of up to $2,000, a jail sentence of between 6 and 180 days, both penalties, and a suspension of their driver’s license of between 90 days and one year.