It can be much easier than you think to violate Arkansas DUI laws if you overestimate your ability to drive after drinking alcohol. The costs of a drunk driving conviction financially and personally high. In addition to the financial expenses, an Arkansas DUI/DWI conviction remains on your driving record for five years.
Are you a responsible driver?
One of the most important aspects of being a responsible driver is to know when to not get behind the wheel. You may think that one or two drinks won’t affect your driving. However, depending on many other factors, that may not be true.
- Taking over-the-counter or prescription medications may compound the effect of alcohol or other drugs.
- If you haven’t eaten anything before drinking, a smaller amount of alcohol can make a big difference in your response rate.
- Combining recreational drugs like marijuana with other substances like marijuana can also affect your judgment and reaction time.
An officer can pull you over for such common actions as:
- Drifting out of your lane in traffic
- Not using headlights and windshield wipers when it’s raining
- Making abrupt stops, or accelerating quickly
Unfortunately, if you’re pulled over a couple of drinks can be enough to test over the BAC limit.
The basics of Arkansas DUI laws:
The BAC (blood alcohol concentration) limit in Arkansas is 0.08% or higher for drivers age 21 years or older, 0.02% for those younger than 21, and 0,04% for anyone who drives a commercial vehicle.
Anyone with an Arkansas driver’s license must comply with the Arkansas Implied Consent law. “Implied consent” means taking a breathalyzer test if an officer asks you to. Moreover, refusal to test results in an automatic 180-day license suspension. There are longer suspension times for a second or subsequent refusal to test.
Penalties under Arkansas DUI laws include license suspension and separately, possible misdemeanor or felony criminal charges. Arkansas DUI penalties can be more severe if there are children in the vehicle, or if injury or death occurred in the DUI/DWI incident. The length of time your license will be suspended is based on the number of DUI violations.
- First DUI or DWI offense: 6 month license suspension
- Second DWI within 5 years: 2 year license suspension
- Third DWI within 5 years: 2-1/2 year license suspension
- Fourth DWI within 5 years: License permanently revoked
License reinstatement after an Arkansas DUI:
To reinstate your license, you may first have to complete a drug and alcohol education or drug/alcohol treatment program, and pay a $150 reinstatement fee. You’ll also have to buy Arkansas SR22 insurance and keep it in effect for the state-assigned period of time.
You can find more Arkansas DUI information on the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) website. These related articles on our website may also be helpful to you:
What is SR22 Insurance?
SR22 DUI Insurance
SR22 Insurance Arkansas
What is a non owner policy?
Non Owner SR22 vs SR22 Insurance
Cheap Affordable SR22 Insurance
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