Report: Arizona has the strictest DUI laws in the country
Aug 11, 2016, 7:10 AM | Updated: 3:03 pm
(AP Photo/Jay Pickthorn, File)
(AP Photo/Jay Pickthorn, File)
No one should ever mess around with drinking and driving, but Arizona makes sure that those who do learn their lesson as the state was ranked the strictest in the country in cracking down on DUI.
The WalletHub analysis named Arizona to the top of the list, as they examined DUI criminal penalties, fines, and several other things across the country.
“Our punishments range anywhere from 24 hours in jail up to 4 months in prison,” said KTAR legal analyst Monica Lindstrom. “And with subsequent DUI’s, that can get into years in prison.”
A lot of times the mandatory jail time isn’t the hardest part at all, she said.
“So they not only hit you with your freedom and that you have to jail time, they hit you in the wallet so that you have to pay a lot of money,” Lindstrom said. “And then they hit you with a stigma because you have the ignition interlock device, and then often times, if not every time, you have to go to alcohol counseling.”
The study also ranked Arizona No. 2 in the DUI Prevention category for things like sobriety check points, required treatment and mandatory vehicle impound.
“Arizona is number one in the punishment and the strictness of its laws, but also number two in the prevention because typically if you get a DUI and have to go through these punishments, you do not want to have to go through it again.”
Overall, South Dakota was ranked the most lenient on DUI laws.
