Vista Teen Apologizes For Oceanside DUI Accident that Injured Two

A Vista teen admitted he was driving while under the influence (DUI) of alcohol on October 18th, when the car he was driving struck a grandfather and toddler in Oceanside. The teen’s blood alcohol content (BAC) was reported by 10news.com as .21.

California has a Zero Tolerance Law that applies to all drivers under the age of 21. This means that it is illegal for anyone under 21 to have a BAC over .01, and on your first offense your driving privilege will be suspended for one year. Further, refusing to take or failing to complete the preliminary alcohol screening (PAS) test will also result in a one year license suspension.

According to the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, the proportion of under age DUI arrests increased from 7.7% in 1996 to 9.4% in 2006. Less than 1% of all DUI arrests involved juveniles under the age of 18. In this case, the teen was only 17 when the accident occurred.

(“San Diego Under Age Youth Sentenced for DUI Injury Accident” is the follow-up to this story and was posted on November 30th.)


If you have been arrested and/or charged with drunk driving in San Diego, you need to hire an exclusively DUI defense firm that will aggressively defend your case. For a free, confidential consultation, contact The Law Offices of Susan L. Hartman today at 619-260-1122 or use the “Contact Us” form on this page.

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