Law enforcement agencies across the state of Nevada are joining forces in an attempt to combat drunk driving. Since the beginning of the year, Henderson officers have paired up with Las Vegas Metro Police several times to spot offenders.
Joining Forces
These teaming-up events are part of the Nevada Department of Public Safety’s “Joining Forces” program, which provides support and funding of these efforts. Many of these events take place on or around holidays or times of year when a high number of drunk driving incidents take place. The Super Bowl and St. Patrick’s Day are two examples of traditionally high-risk dates.
The Strategic Highway Safety Plan includes initiatives like this program and encourages safety and law enforcement agencies to work together. The ultimate goal of this plan is zero traffic deaths on Nevada roads.
The Consequences of Drunk Driving
In Nevada, simply operating a vehicle while blood alcohol content is at or above the legal threshold is considered an offense of impaired driving. The blood alcohol limit in Nevada is .08, with a .04 limit for commercial drivers. These limits are only guidelines, however, and a driver can be convicted of a DUI, even if their blood alcohol content is under the limit.
Failure to submit to a breath, blood or urine screen, when directed by law-enforcement, can lead to a one year revocation of an individual’s driver’s license. If a warrant or court order is obtained, a blood sample can be drawn involuntarily.
A DUI arrest or conviction remains a part of an individual’s criminal history file for life, and part of the driver history for up to ten years. Once convicted of a felony DUI, each subsequent DUI is automatically considered a felony. DUI penalties include: vehicle impoundment, community service, up to six months in jail, temporary license revocation, significant fees and increased insurance rates. License reinstatement is not an automatic process, even if criminal charges are reduced or dismissed. A revoked driver’s license that has not been reinstated bars individuals from obtaining a driver’s license in any other state.
Those involved in a drunk driving incident, or any type of motor vehicle accident, can get further information on Nevada traffic laws from a Las Vegas drunk driving accident attorney.
