When you are convicted of a DUI, your court may decide that you need a vehicle sanction. This could mean a variety of different punishments, so it is important to know what a vehicle sanction entails. Normally, a vehicle sanction can range from impounding your car to registration revocation or having an ignition interlock device installed in your vehicle. The National Highway Traffic Safety Association says that 44 states have laws that can affect the vehicles or vehicle plates of traffic law offenders. If you are arrested for impaired driving, your vehicle will probably be impounded. This is because you will be taken to the local jail in the police vehicle instead. If you live in California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Mississippi, Kentucky or Vermont then your car will be impounded for longer than one night. You will have to pay for any of the expenses associated with the impounding.

As well, in 19 states the government may withdraw your vehicle registration when you are convicted of a DWI. These states are Alabama, Arizona, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, Oregon, South Dakota, Virginia, Wyoming, and South Carolina. Sometimes an investigator will even track down the offender and strip him or his or her license place. In 27 states, the law enforcement is permitted to confiscate a vehicle. This normally happens when a person is arrested for a consequential DUI.

Courts can also prevent a DUI offender from using his or her car for a certain amount of time by immobilizing the steering wheel. They usually use a club to do this. They may also decide to lock one of the wheels with a boot so that the person cannot drive the car anywhere. Ohio is the only state that implements this sanction regularly. Three states may force DUI convicts to have a special license plate which only allows the vehicle to be used by family members. These states are Iowa, Minnesota, and Ohio. With the special mark, family and friends can borrow the vehicle while the drunk driver is under license restriction.

In 43 states, the ignition interlock device is an additional punishment that can be given to DUI offenders. Oftentimes first-time offenders are forced to use this device which mandates that they check their BAC before starting their car. The ignition interlock devices can be inconvenient and embarrassing, but they make sure that a criminal will not repeat their crime by getting in the car with a BAC above the legal limit. In fact, if you exceed the limit the car won’t even start. 20 states have mandatory sanctions for a repeat offense. In these states , if you have been convicted of more than one DUI, you are must have an ignition interlock device installed on your car. The device may be there for years, depending on your state laws.

For example, in Maryland the ignition interlock devices are left on the car for at least 2 years. Other states have experimented with special methods to try and reduce their drunk driving rates. For example, in Oregon, the state traffic laws mandated that whoever was convicted of drunk driving would have a special “zebra tag” sticker attached to their license plate. This sticker would then display that they had been charged with a DUI, and tip off police for the cars to watch when out on the road. Though this sort of sanction has since expired, it is one that may be resurrected in other states in the future. If you have been convicted of a DUI, you may be in danger of experiencing these vehicle sanctions. Get started today by contacting a DUI attorney to combat your charges.