A Proven Criminal Defense Team

Which state has the toughest DUI laws? Where does Colorado rank?

On Behalf of | Aug 18, 2017 | Drunk Driving Charges |

According to a recent report by WalletHub, Colorado ranks 11th in the nation when it comes to which states have the strictest stance on driving under the influence (DUI). While Arizona received the top ranking, Colorado’s placement in the 11th spot means The Centennial State takes a more aggressive stance on DUI than 39 other states and the District of Columbia (D.C.), as outlined in the report.

This particularly high ranking for Colorado probably isn’t a surprise to many, especially given the recent changes to the state’s felony DUI law requiring mandatory jail time in certain situations.

Details of the report

The report by WalletHub ranked the states’ stances on drunk driving by examining 15 different metrics — including DUI criminal penalties such as minimum jail time, minimum fines and additional penalties for high BACs — and compiled an overall score for each state based on these various metrics.

While Colorado ranked 11th overall, it did rank higher in specific metrics. For instance, Colorado is 6th when it comes to drunk driving prevention, which is based on the state’s score in the following metrics:

  • When is an ignition interlock device mandatory?
  • How long is an ignition interlock device mandatory?
  • Is there an administrative license suspension following arrest, even if not yet convicted? And if so, how long is this license suspension?
  • Is the driver’s vehicle impounded after arrest?
  • Is an alcohol abuse assessment or treatment mandatory following a DUI conviction?
  • Does the state use sobriety checkpoints?
  • Average insurance rate increases following DUI conviction

As you can see from this list, Colorado would obviously score quite high with these particular metrics, which is why they were ranked 6th in DUI prevention — and 11th overall.

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