Whether you’ve had a single drink or several, it’s never a good idea to drive. It’s an even worse idea to get behind the wheel with your children in your vehicle after you’ve been drinking.
Why? The reality is that parents are expected to take steps to keep their children safe. If they place them in harm’s way, then they can face serious charges and other legal repercussions. Those repercussions could include losing your custody rights.
How serious is it to get caught driving with a child while intoxicated?
In Maryland, if you have a minor in your vehicle while you’re impaired, then you face up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. A second offense increases the penalty to one year in prison and up to $2,000 in fines.
For a driver over the per se limit, the penalties increase to up to two years and a $2,000 fine for a first offense, three years in prison and a $3,000 penalty for the second offense and a $4,000 fine and four years in prison for a third or subsequent offense.
These penalties don’t include what could happen in family court. So, if you are accused and convicted of driving with your children while intoxicated, it’s possible that the other parent could seek to strip you of custody or that you could lose your right to unsupervised visitation. That’s why having a good defense is important. Multiple aspects of your life could be impacted, so you need to put up a strong defense.