Tougher penalties for repeated DUIs
By JEFF STITT
jstitt@yourmvi.com
The New Year’s holiday weekend is a popular time for partaking in celebrations and parties, but state troopers are reminding motorists that the consequences of getting a DUI just got steeper in Pennsylvania as a result of a new law that took effect Sunday.
Act 153 of 2018, which was passed in October by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Tom Wolf, established the state’s first felony for DUI.
It applies when someone has been charged with a third offense in a decade with at least twice the legal limit for alcohol, or any fourth-time offender.
Pennsylvania law sets the legal limit for driving at 0.08 percent.
Additionally, the bill increases prison time when intoxicated drivers unintentionally cause the death of another person.
A person who has a prior DUI can now possibly see three to five years in jail and three to seven years if there are two or more prior DUIs.
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