Hillsborough County Legal Effects of Blood Alcohol Content

When police pull you over and suspect you are impaired, you may be asked to submit to a test of your BAC. If you decline the test, your license can be suspended for a year and your refusal could be used as evidence in a DUI case against you. If you take the test and your blood alcohol content is .08 or higher, this could also have serious consequences.

It is important to understand the legal effects of blood alcohol content in Hillsborough County so you will know what to expect when you are asked to undergo testing.  At Florida DUI Law Firm, our attorneys know how the laws work for BAC tests and we are experienced in the types of tests you may be asked to take. Our firm’s founder is a former INTOXILYZER specialist who knows the ins-and-outs of BAC testing and can help you try to fight a DUI even if you are over-the-limit.

What Are the Legal Effects of Blood Alcohol Content in Hillsborough County?

The legal BAC limit for a motorist is .08. If your BAC is above this limit, you can face serious consequences. For teens and commercial drivers, legal penalties kick in at even lower BACs because of zero tolerance laws and state and federal restrictions on commercial drivers.

A BAC of .08 or higher creates the presumption you are impaired when your DUI case goes to court. This means a prosecutor does not even have to prove the alcohol you consumed actually affected your driving in order to get a conviction. If the prosecutor shows beyond a reasonable doubt that your BAC was above-the-limit when you were operating a car, the jury can find you guilty of a crime.

A BAC of .08 or above also triggers an automatic administrative suspension of your license for six months. This means that unless you act to fight the suspension within just 10 days, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is going to take your license away for half-a-year.

Fighting a DUI Case With a Bac Above the Limit

BAC tests are not perfect. Breathalyzers can malfunction or be calibrated improperly, or tests can be performed incorrectly. Even urine and blood tests can be inaccurate if evidence was not handled right, if the sample was contaminated, or mixed up with someone else’s.

Just because the law says a BAC of .08 or above is illegal does not mean you will be convicted in every situation where your BAC test is at or above this level.  Florida DUI Law Firm will fight hard to help you avoid the consequences of a high blood alcohol content in Hillsborough County. Give us a call as soon as possible after you fail a BAC test so we can start helping you put together a strong defense.