Legal Issues for Parents/Guardians
Know the law and educate yourself and your teen. Laws change all the time. Here's the latest on what you need to know to help your teen.
Tell your teen:
If he or she drinks alcohol when under 21, there may be serious consequences:
- The teen can lose his or her driver's license for one year (even if the teen isn't even in a car).
- He or she can be charged with a DUI with only 0.01% blood alcohol content (that's any trace of alcohol).
If you drink alcohol in public, no matter what your age, teen or adult:
- You might be convicted of a misdemeanor and could have a criminal record for the rest of your life.
- A criminal record could keep you from becoming a doctor, a lawyer, or a teacher, just to name a few professions.
- The applications for many graduate programs ask if you ever have been convicted of a crime.
Driving after you have been drinking can cause you to:
- Lose your driver's license for at least 90 days for adults and a year for teen drivers;
- Pay a fine and fees of more than $1,500;
- Pay huge increases in insurance premiums;
- Be required to attend a costly and time-consuming alcohol abuse program; and
- Have a criminal record for DUI.
Read on for more information on laws affecting you and your teen:
