The legal limit under Arkansas law is set, for most drivers, at 0.08%. This is a measurement of their blood alcohol concentration while they are operating their vehicle. If the police give you a breath test and you meet or exceed this limit, then you could find yourself facing DWI charges.
But it is important not to assume that your legal limit is always going to be 0.08%, as many people do. In reality, there are different categories of drivers that have been given different limits under the law. Even if you are under 0.08%, if you are in one of these categories, you could still find yourself facing very serious charges.
Zero-tolerance laws
To begin with, people who are under 21 cannot purchase or consume alcohol at all. To address this, Arkansas has instituted zero-tolerance laws. This means that even a small amount of alcohol showing up on a breath test, such as 0.02%, could still lead to DWI charges. An older driver may be well below the legal limit, but a teenager or a young college student could be arrested.
Commercial drivers
Additionally, if someone has a commercial driver’s license, then their legal limit is typically 0.04%. They are not held to quite as low of a level as underage drivers, because people with a commercial driver’s license may legally be allowed to drink. But they still need to be very careful to monitor their alcohol intake, because their limit is just half of the 0.08% that applies to most other drivers.
Your defense options
Are you facing DWI charges in Arkansas? They can lead to fines, jail time and a license suspension or revocation, so make sure you know about all of your legal defense options.
