The problem with under-aged Chicago DUI's,

This Chicago DUI Lawyer was in and out of court today during a hearing with Top Chicago DUI Cop Richard Fiorito. A young woman was testifying as to how much alcohol she had consumed. It was one glass of wine. The problem for the young woman was she made the fatal error of admitting to consumption of alcohol. She was under the age of 21 at the time of her arrest.

In Illinois, people under the age of 21 can be treated differently when charged with DUI than the rest of us. She may not have been impaired at all. She could very well be under the legal limit of .08 BAC with the consumption of just one glass of wine. The error is misunderstanding Illinois DUI law as it relates to those under the age of 21. In Illinois, there is a zero tolerance policy of alcohol consumption for those under the age of 21. Any amount of alcohol consumption, when under the age of 21, is illegal.

National College of DUI Defense, Illinois DUI Laws

Zero tolerance is a state law that went into effect on January 1, 1995. The law provides for suspension of the driving privileges of any person under the age of 21 who drives after consuming alcohol. Like the name zero tolerance suggests, any trace of alcohol in a young person's system can result in a suspended drivers license. There are exceptions -- minors who consume alcohol as part of a religious service or those who ingest a prescribed or recommended dosage of medicine containing alcohol.

Oh by the way, I understand the young woman lost her hearing today. She faces a suspension of her driving privileges for a minimum of six months even if she had only one glass of wine.