Legal Drinking Age Virginia
A: In Virginia, possessing a manufactured or modified driver`s license or using someone other than your own driver`s license is against the law. A conviction can result in up to six months in prison. It is also illegal to lend your license to someone else to use or manufacture, sell or distribute false identification. Charges/convictions of false identification can also have collateral consequences for young people who then request a security check. You should also be aware that it is a separate crime for a minor to drive a motor vehicle after illegally consuming alcohol, even if the driver is not drunk, and to possess, manufacture or use a driver`s license, altered or false military or university card for the purpose of illegally acquiring alcohol. Under Virginia Code Sections 18.2-371.2(B), it is illegal for minors to purchase, sell, or possess nicotine vaping products. This is a Class 4 offence. From 1982 to 1998, the number of accidents under the influence of alcohol involving drivers under 20 years of age decreased by 59%. The NHTSA report, reflecting this decline, also noted that “laws (minimum drinking age) have significantly reduced drinking and driving among teens. They appear to have done so by reducing direct alcohol consumption among teens and encouraging teens to separate their drinking from driving. “It is illegal for anyone to drink alcoholic beverages in a public place.
This includes places such as roads, parks, and parking lots. Last but not least, younger drivers who have drunk alcohol die in greater numbers than older drivers. In Virginia, less than 10 percent of licensed drivers are under the age of 21. However, they account for 14% of drunk driving deaths. For parents and legislators, this risk is unacceptable. The term “alcoholic beverages” is defined in Virginia Code § 4.1-100 as “alcohol, spirits, wine and beer, and one or more of these varieties containing one-half percent or more alcohol by volume, including mixed alcoholic beverages, and any liquid or solid, potency or crystal, patented or not, containing alcohol, spirits, wine or beer that can be consumed by a human.” Crystallized alcohol also belongs to this category and is also illegal. It is a violation of Virginia`s drinking laws to drive with a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or higher. It is illegal for people under the age of 21 to drive with a blood alcohol level of 0.02% or higher. It would be 0.00%, except for at least three reasons. Alcohol laws vary from state to state and even from jurisdiction to jurisdiction within states. Therefore, most alcohol laws in the United States are a combination of federal, state, and local laws. One exception, however, is the national drinking age.
It is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to possess alcoholic beverages. Offenders are guilty of a Class 1 offence and are liable to a fine of up to $2,500 and/or one year in jail if convicted. At a minimum, the court will order a mandatory minimum fine of $500 or 50 mandatory hours of community service and suspend the driver`s licence or deny driving privileges for at least six months. The court may also order education, counseling and treatment of drug abuse. Yes. It is illegal to possess, manufacture, use or sell a modified or fake driver`s license or a military or university identification card. It is also illegal to lend your driver`s license or ID card to someone else. Persons who possess, use or distribute false identification will be charged with a Class 1 offense (Virginia Code § 18.2-204.1). Over the years, there have been various criticisms of Virginia`s legal drinking age of 21. These laws, which set the legal drinking age, are considered one of the most effective road safety measures implemented over the past 30 years. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 900 lives are saved each year through these laws, equivalent to more than 25,000 lives since 1975. If you are looking for criminal defense attorneys in Virginia to help you with a minor alcohol charge, we encourage you to contact us for free legal advice.
Our Harrisonburg team of lawyers understands how an alcohol-related arrest can wreak havoc on a young person`s future. We have experience in helping students achieve the best possible outcome for their case. Fill out the form below to request more information about how we can serve you. We look forward to hearing from you! The United States Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act (23 U.S.C.A. § 158) on July 17, 1984, requiring all states to raise the legal drinking age to 21. In some states, such as Alabama, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and the District of Columbia, this law is effectively a complete ban. In other states, the purchase of alcohol by minors is illegal, but possession and consumption of alcohol is not illegal in certain circumstances. Virginia is one of those states. Regarding the age of alcohol consumption, it is illegal in Virginia for persons under the age of 21 to possess, purchase, or consume alcoholic beverages such as alcohol, wine, and beer (Virginia Code § 4.1-305), but there are exceptions. For people 21 and older, it is illegal to work with a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or higher. Or if a deficiency is sufficient to not be able to work safely. For those under 21 years of age, this is a blood alcohol level of 0.02% or higher.
Or a deficiency sufficient that they cannot work safely. However, one officer notices. So it`s very subjective. It remained so until 1985, when the drinking age for each type of alcohol was raised to 21. This has happened largely because the federal government has threatened to suspend funding for highways in states that have not raised the legal drinking age. The government took this aggressive stance because it believed that raising the drinking age to 21 would reduce the number of accidents under the influence of alcohol.
