State Agencies Step Up Underage DUI Enforcement
In an effort to combat underage drinking and DUI, Arizona will set up DUI sobriety checkpoints to target underage drinkers returning from Mexico. If successful, other states will no doubt quickly follow suit. The legal drinking age is 18 in Mexico, although local establishments rarely, if ever, ask for anyone’s ID. This makes cities like Tijuana, Mexicali, Tecate, and Juarez popular hangouts for the “under 21” American crowd.
Teens from California, Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico frequent these Mexican cities to party, drink, and then drive home. If caught driving, these underage drinkers face a variety of penalties.
In this state, for example, California underage drinkers face a “zero tolerance” DUI policy. This means that if a person under 21 is caught driving with any measurable amount of alcohol in his body, he loses his driver’s license for a minimum of one year and can even face adult DUI charges under Vehicle Code 23152 VC, California’s “driving under the influence” law, depending on the circumstances.
Be careful, underage drinkers! Know that cops are on the lookout for “under 21 DUIs” and will enforce California’s zero tolerance DUI policy. Whether you’re coming from a local party or from across the border, make sure you have a designated driver.
