Operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol can not only be dangerous, but costly. In Virginia, law enforcement takes measures to prevent such dangers and educate drivers about the consequences of driving while impaired. While drunk driving is a serious matter, learning about the facts can raise awareness and potentially create safer driving practices. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide drunk driving reports for each state in America. The CDC acknowledges that, with the drastic number of collisions and deaths as a result of driving under the influence, Virgina enforces sobriety checkpoints. These checkpoints allow police to briefly stop vehicles at specific, highly visible locations to check if the driver is impaired. Police may also use breath tests at these checkpoints for accuracy. If a driver fails a breath test or refuses to take the test, police may revoke a driver’s license; the amount of time that police can withhold licenses varies from state to state.

I Drive Safely, a wholly owned division of eDriving, is a leading provider in driving education. An article on I Drive Safely’s site confirms that thousands of alcohol-related crashes occur each year in Virginia, leading to hundreds of injuries and deaths. Law enforcement considers drunk driving as operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or higher. If a driver has failed a breath test in the past and refuses another test, the court may charge the driver with a misdemeanor. The number of DUI offenses a driver accumulates can determine the type of charge that takes place. The timespan of the drunk driving charges also play a role in the type of laws that apply.