Have you ever stopped for happy hour with co-workers on your way home from work? Have you ever had wine or beer at a family gathering or backyard barbecue and then driven home? These things are very common as part of people's social lives yet they could put you at risk for being investigated for drunk driving. If an officer does arrest you and charge you with driving under the influence in Tennessee, you should understand the implications of this for you.
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security indicates that a DUI in Tennessee is generally a misdemeanor but can be a felony depending upon whether or not you have had any previous offenses or if another person is injured. If you have never been convicted of drunk driving before and nobody was hurt in an accident related to your arrest, you may still experience significant penalties if you are convicted of a DUI.
Financially, you may have to pay court costs, fines, bail, towing, costs associated with an ignition interlock device, license reinstatement fees and more. You may have to spend time in jail and be required to attend special treatment courses for substance abuse or addiction. You will also have a criminal conviction on your record that may appear on job-related background searches.
If you would like to learn more about the long-term implications of a driving under the influence conviction, please feel free to visit the drunk driving penalties page of our Tennessee criminal defense website.