Riverside County teen charged with drunk driving

Drivers who are under the legal drinking age of 21 are held to stricter standards when it comes to driving under the influence of alcohol. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has found that underage drinking leads to a greater risk of fatal accidents, even at low levels.

Because of this, all states have adopted some form of zero-tolerance law when it comes to underage drunk driving. This means that while .08 is the limit for drivers that are of legal drinking age, drivers under 21 are limited to anywhere from 0.00 to 0.02 percent blood alcohol concentration, depending on the state. These strict laws mean that a teenager could face a DUI for driving after just one glass of wine at dinner.

One 19-year-old Indio man is now facing misdemeanor DUI charges after an accident earlier this month. The teenager allegedly lost control of his vehicle and drove over a traffic circle median, before crashing into a light pole in La Quinta.

The man then restarted his car and fled the scene before police arrived. However, police managed to find him soon thereafter and arrested him under suspicion of misdemeanor drunk driving and hit-and-run. The young man was booked into the Indio jail, but was released on bond a few hours later.

A young person facing DUI charges may be worried about the impact that a conviction could have on their future. It is important to understand all of the potential consequences involved with a DUI conviction and come up with an effective defense strategy to potentially protect yourself from the more serious penalties.