DUI or Driving Under Influence is considered a pretty serious crime in all the States of the country and so, if you get stopped on the suspicion of DUI, the officer will make thorough investigations and will have you take certain tests to prove or disprove his suspicions. Getting pulled over for DUI is not only meant to be for the driver but also for the passengers with the driver.

Normally the charges on a drunk driver having a passenger in the car can be much more serious than if he or she were driving alone because not only have they put their own lives in danger but also of the other person’s. But the consequences for having a sober or drunk passenger with you as you drunk drive will vary from State to State as do the penalties for DUI. If you have a child with you in the car when you are arrested for DUI, you may have to face charges for reckless driving or child endangerment in addition to facing charges for your DUI.

Many people may seem surprised at this, but an individual can face charges for DUI even if they allow another person to drive the car and the driver was drunk when pulled over, irrespective of whether the owner was present in the car at the time or not. If you are a sober passenger in the car with a drunk driver, you can also be charged with DUI along with the driver because you apparently gave your consent to the driver to drive in an inappropriate condition.

Having an underage passenger in your car at the time of a DUI arrest can be a bad thing for you because then, such a DUI case will be considered an Aggravated DUI case and a Class 6 felony, the consequences of which are pretty severe. Though the penalties will vary with each State, generally, the penalties of Aggravated DUI include up to two years in prison, probation term of up to five years, driver’s license revocation for three years, mandatory installation of an ignition interlock device in your car, and forfeiture of your vehicle and heavy fines.

As mentioned before, if you are an adult passenger in the car at the time of the DUI arrest, there can be two possibilities, either you were drunk yourself as well or you were sober and the driver was drunk in both cases. And in both cases, you are also in danger of getting into trouble, whether drunk or not; this trouble can mean submitting breath and blood tests, getting charged for DUI, getting a warning or paying a fine. The most serious one would be getting charged with DUI but your case may not be as serious as the one faced by the driver in your car, but that will depend largely on where you were arrested for DUI or not.

As with any issue regarding DUI, you must get guidance from a professional DUI attorney because not only will they know about DUI in your county and State like houston dwi attorney, they will also give you the best possible advice regarding your concerns.