Deputies will work OT to prevent DUI

Carson City deputies will be working overtime Aug. 19 through Sept. 5 to promote enforcement of Nevada's drunken driving laws.

Deputy Jarrod Adams said funding for the overtime came from the Office of Traffic Safety's Joining Forces Campaign grant.

"It has been determined that high visibility of traffic enforcement is one of the best ways to ensure compliance with DUI laws," he said.

According to statistics compiled by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, alcohol was involved in 50 percent of the accidents that claimed the lives of 368 people on Nevada roads in 2003.

Nevada's blood alcohol limit is .08. For commercial drivers the limit is .04 and for drivers under 21 the limit is .02.

Breath and field test refusal is not allowed by statute. If a person fails to submit to a test, a blood sample may be obtained with force if there are "reasonable grounds to believe" that the driver has been driving under the influence of alcohol, according to Nevada law.

Additionally, If a person refuses to submit to a preliminary breath test where there are "reasonable grounds to believe" that they have committed a drunk driving offense, the law enforcement officer requesting such a test must seize the person's license and arrest them for such an offense.

The following penalties apply to first-offense drunken driving convictions:

• Arrest

• Vehicle Impounded

• Two days to six months in jail or community service

• Fine $400 to $1,000

• Chemical test fee $60

• DUI school or substance-abuse treatment

• Victim Impact Panel

• License revoked for 90 days

• $65 reinstatement fee

• $35 Victims Compensation Civil Penalty

• License fee

• Must retake driver's test

• SR-22 Certificate of Liability Insurance required for three years.

Penalties for subsequent convictions are harsher. A third arrest and conviction for drunken driving is considered a felony and carries a mandatory prison sentence of up to six years.