Generally speaking, you’re not going to get a DUI if you accidentally drink one spiked drink. If someone puts a shot of whiskey in your Coke and you drink it without knowing, your blood alcohol concentration isn’t going to be anywhere close to 0.08%. At least, that’s true if you haven’t been drinking other alcoholic beverages.
But this presents a problem for younger drivers. They are subject to different rules. Someone who is under 21 years old is not allowed to have a blood alcohol concentration that reaches or exceeds 0.01%. Even simply consuming part of an alcoholic beverage could be enough to get a teenager to that level.
This is why spiked drinks become a bigger problem. An adult who has an exceptionally high blood alcohol concentration is going to feel intoxicated. A teenager who unknowingly has a 0.01% blood alcohol concentration is probably not going to feel it at all. They won’t know that they consumed alcohol or that they’ve broken the law. But if they get pulled over, they could still face DUI charges because of the zero-tolerance laws.
Wouldn’t they drive safely?
People sometimes say that these teens don’t have anything to worry about because odds are that they’re going to drive safely since they’re not intoxicated. This may be true, but it could also lead to DUI charges after a simple mistake, like forgetting to signal before changing lanes. Additionally, teens could be accused of drunk driving after another driver hits them and causes an accident if an officer gives them a breath test after that crash.
If your teenager is facing these types of charges, be sure you know about your legal options. An experienced defense can protect your teen’s future.