Everyone has different tolerance levels and all too often drivers are charged with being intoxicated behind the wheel when they felt completely fine. Unfortunately, the law does not care for how competent you believe yourself to be at that moment, but only the amount of alcohol in your bloodstream. In Arizona, as is the case throughout the U.S. the legal limit for blood alcohol concentration is 0.08 percent.
Know your limits to avoid conviction
Commercial drivers face stricter DUI restrictions
If you drive a vehicle that requires a commercial driver's license, such as a tractor-trailer or a bus, you are subject to far stricter rules when it comes to intoxication. As commercial licenses tend to be needed for very large vehicles or those that can carry several passengers, the driver's of these vehicles have an increased responsibility. If they have an accident, there is even greater potential for damage and loss of life than there may be if a smaller vehicle crashes.
How do prior convictions affect the charges against you?
It is no secret that drunk driving is a matter that is taken extremely seriously by authorities in Arizona. If your blood alcohol content is found to be 0.08 percent or above when you are operating a vehicle, you could face criminal charges. The severity of these charges depends on a number of factors, one of which is whether you have any previous convictions.
Implied consent laws could cost you your license
There are several tests to which you might be asked to submit if an officer in Arizona needs to determine whether you are intoxicated. These can range from field sobriety tests, to breath tests and can even include the acquisition of a blood sample. As we have seen before, you do not have to submit to these tests. However, refusing to do so can have legal repercussions.
