DUI South Carolina Drug & Alcohol Rehab Treatment

The state of South Carolina has one of the highest drunk driving death rates in the US. The state itself was; however, one of the first states to endorse the prohibition law in the year 1892. Unfortunately, the control of alcohol has always been a major issue in the state. It is not uncommon today for most counties in South Carolina to not sell any form of alcohol on Sundays. A proposed DUI bill in South Carolina would have a mandate of a one year driver’s license suspension for a DUI conviction. In this bill, which was passed in 2008; if you refuse to take a breathalyzer, your license will automatically be suspended for 90 days or even one year.

There is something very interesting about the DUI laws in the state of South Carolina. It is the only state in America that makes it mandatory for the arresting officer to videotape the arrest and breathalyzer test of the subject. This allows for a very accurate and honest way of seeing what happened and how it was handled. The ‘per-se’ law of South Carolina is, if your blood alcohol content is that of .08%, you can be charged with a criminal offense. This percentage constitutes that of being impaired, and you can also be prosecuted while driving under the influence. This can only happen if you are proven to have been driving in an unsafe manner.

The evidence that can be used is the following:

• Slurred speech
• Blood shot/watery eyes
• Un-balanced co-ordination
• Hazardous driving
• Field sobriety tests

Even if you have not been drinking, but are under the influence of some benign substance or source, you can still be charged, and your license can be subject to automatic license removal.

When you are charged for the first time in South Carolina, your license will be suspended for a six month period. You will then be fined $400 and be put in jail for 48 hours to 30 days. The DMV will also publish the names of all people who have had their license suspended due to a DUI charge. The second time you are charged in South Carolina, you will pay a fine between $2000 - $5000 and your license will be suspended for one year. The court could also order people addicted to drugs and alcohol to attend a drug and alcohol treatment program, and you could be ordered to install an ignition interlock device in your car. Your third DUI offense in South Carolina will cost you a two year suspension of your driver’s license. There is also a possibility that your license could be permanently taken away. You will also be fined $3800 - $6300 and sentenced to 60 days in jail.

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^{Works Cited - DUI-Help.com 1997, 19 June 2009 http://dui-help.com/south-carolina/
United States DUI Laws 2006, 19 June 2009 http://dui.drivinglaws.org/scarolina.php}