Tampa DUI Information

The Tampa DUI lawyers at Musca Law have over 100 years of combined criminal defense experience. We will defend your case aggressively to get the best result possible in your DUI case.

What is DUI?

A driver who is 21 years of age or older can be convicted of DUI if he has a blood alcohol content of at least 0.08 or if he is otherwise impaired. For instance, you can be arrested for DUI if you are under the influence of drugs. Valid prescription drugs and illegal drugs alike can impair a driver to the extent that he can receive a DUI. Even a hefty dose of an over-the-counter cough syrup or other medication can make a driver so sleepy that she might be arrested for DUI.

A person can also be convicted if her faculties are impaired while in control of the vehicle, even if the ignition is turned off. Surprisingly, someone who is asleep and drunk in the driver’s seat of an automobile parked on private property can be arrested for DUI if police discover the individual in the car.

DUI is an enhanceable offense, like driving with a suspended license. The more times you are convicted of DUI, the harsher the sentence. Even a third time DUI can be charged as a felony, punishable by more than one year in prison. The Tampa DUI defense attorneys from our office are experienced in defending repeat DUI cases.

“Baby DUI” – Underage Drunk Driving

Young drivers are significantly overrepresented in alcohol-related traffic deaths statistics. To combat the problem of teenagers and young adults drinking and driving, Florida has enacted a so-called “baby DUI” statute to provide special rules for drivers under the age of 21, the legal drinking age in the state. Adults who are 21 and older may not have a blood alcohol content exceeding 0.08, but persons under the age of 21 can be convicted of DUI with a BAC of only 0.02. The underage DUI statute is known as Florida’s zero tolerance law because of the extremely low level of alcohol tolerated in the bloodstream.

How Impaired is a Driver at the Legal Limit?

The Tampa DUI lawyers at Musca Law regularly represent clients who report that they did not feel too impaired to drive when they were arrested for DUI. The degree to which a person feels impaired by alcohol varies tremendously from person to person. For a rough guide, a 120 pound woman would have a blood alcohol content of about 0.08 after two drinks in one hour. She would be too impaired to drive under Florida law. If she is under 21 years of age and thus subject to the 0.02 limit, she will exceed that after just one drink. A 180 pound man will reach 0.08 after three drinks within an hour or 0.02 after just one drink.

Call or Email the Musca Law Tampa DUI Defense Team

We offer free initial consultations for DUI defense. Our phones are answered 24/7 to provide you with the best possible service.