Any driver who breaks the legal limit in Tennessee runs the risk of facing impaired driving charges. For the majority of adult drivers, this legal limit is a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08%. In some cases, drivers can be arrested even under this limit, if there is other evidence that they are impaired.
But for underage drivers specifically, the DUI risk is a bit higher. This is because Tennessee uses a zero-tolerance law. For anyone who is under 21 years old, their legal BAC limit is just 0.02%.
Why is the law set up this way?
The basic reason why the law is written this way is simply that the legal drinking age is 21. So, in theory, any driver who is under 21 years old cannot have legally consumed any amount of alcohol. Therefore, if a test shows that they have, they could face serious ramifications.
But one issue that this can create for young drivers is that they may not have had very much alcohol at all, and they can still fail a breath test. A teenager may only have half of a drink at a party with friends, for example, and may not really be able to feel the effects of the alcohol or feel impaired. But it could still increase their BAC slightly so that they find themselves facing DUI charges, when an adult driver would have been well under the legal limit.
It is very important to understand the intricacies of DUI laws in Tennessee and how they apply to different age groups. Those who find themselves facing charges must know what legal options they have.