Teens and Alcohol

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Under California law, it is illegal for anyone, including a passenger, to have a container of alcohol that has been opened and carry it inside your vehicle.
(Vehicle Code 23223,23226) When you possess an open alcoholic container inside your vehicle, you could receive a $1,000 fine, and you could possibly be incarcerated for six months in a county jail.
For a minor, their license can be suspended for such circumstances, or their license may delayed for up to a year.
When it comes to minors drinking and driving, the statutes regarding alcohol and minors are very strict.
If you're a minor, you cannot even carry any alcohol at all, closed or open, if everyone in the car is under 21-years old.
The only exception is when the minor is traveling with a parent, legal guardian, or other responsible adult.
You can also lose your car! If you're the registered owner of the car (and this applies whether you are driving or just sitting as a passenger) and someone unlawfully carries alcoholic beverages, the may be impounded for up to thirty days.
One minor exception is if the underage driver works for someone who is licensed by under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act (ABCA) and the minor is carrying the alcoholic beverages between normal business operating hours.
(Vehicle Code 23224).
Also, it's unlawful for anybody who is under 21-years of age to operate a motor vehicle if he/she has blood-alcohol levels (sometimes referred to as Blood-Alcohol-Concentration or BAC) of 0.
01 percent or more.
(Vehicle Code § 23136) When it comes to adults who are 21-years old or above, the unlawful BAC is slightly higher at 0.
08 percent or more.
(Vehicle Code 23152(b)) What can occur if my minor child is stopped by law enforcement officers for a DUI or driving under the influence? The officer can give your teenager a breath analysis test, or a blood or urine test to establish his or her blood-alcohol (BAC) level.
Under these circumstances, the teenaged driver cannot refuse to take these tests without serious consequences.
For those drivers who refuse to take a BAC test, they can be fined or incarcerated, and it can also cause license to be suspended or even revoked for a time of one up to 3 years.
(Vehicle Code 13353.
1, 23136, 23612).
Even without the breath test, blood sample or urine tests, a minor can still be charged and convicted of driving under the influence.
Under this scenario, such chemical testing is not necessary for a successful prosecution when a judge or jury determines that the minor, under 21-years old, consumed any alcoholic beverages and later drove a motor vehicle.
(Vehicle Code 23140) If your teenage-driving child is convicted of driving under the influence and is also under the age of eighteen, he or she will have their licensed revoked until they reached the age of eighteen, or one year or longer, if he or she has any prior crimes.
(Vehicle Code 13352.
3) Generally, most cases require an under-aged driver who was convicted of driving under the influence to also participate in various alcoholic education or community programs.
If the driver was over eighteen years old, then he or she may have to pay for the costs associated with attending such a program.
If not, the child's parents may be charged with these costs.
(Vehicle Code 23520) What Happens If My Child Stops Or Fails To Complete The Education or Community Service? If your minor child drops out or is otherwise unsuccessful in completing their court-ordered alcoholic educational program or specified community service program, the court may suspend or revoke the driving license of the minor child.
Additionally, if the teenage driver has yet to obtain their driver's license, the court can defer the issuance of such license until such time as the minor child completes all of the court-ordered programs or until he or she reaches the age of twenty-one years old.
(Vehicle Code 23502) Finally, anybody whose driver's license was suspended or revoked can also be subject to cancellation of their automobile insurance.
Almost certainly, any driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated prosecution will disqualify any person from receiving possible "good driver" discounts for a period of ten years.
(Insurance Code 1861.
025) This information is not legal advice, and it is given for informational purposes only.
  To avoid the possibility of any of these consequences, one should seek the advice of competent counsel in your local jurisdiction.
  Your state bar may have a section for DUI Lawyer or similar criminal law representation.
Source...
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