HARRISBURG, Pa. (WKBN) — Getting a DUI in Pennsylvania now comes with more penalties.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that a new law has changed the grading of certain offenses for DUI, adding more stringent penalties.
“Deanna’s Law” requires consecutive sentencing for certain repeat DUI offenders and imposes an 18-month driving suspension for DUIs graded as a felony of the second degree.
Anyone who refuses a breath or chemical test or is charged with DUI with a blood alcohol content of .16 or higher or a DUI involving a controlled substance and has the following number of prior offenses commits:
- A felony of the third degree for two prior offenses (previously two or more prior offenses); and
- A felony of the second degree for three or more prior offenses (previously a third-degree felony).
A felony of the third degree is punishable by a maximum of 7 years in prison. A felony of the second degree is punishable by a maximum of 10 years.
Another part of the law is that in some cases the sentences are to be served consecutively, not concurrently, to other sentencing.
“Driving impaired puts everyone at risk, and repeat offenders disregard the risk they pose every time they get behind the wheel impaired,” said Major Robert Krol, director of the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Patrol. “This law enhances penalties for those individuals, and hopefully they will think twice before reoffending.”
