On August 13th a woman was arrested in Florida for DUI on her way to a bar with 8 kids in the car. Their ages ranged from 10 months to 14 years, which means that if she had been arrested in Georgia, in one stop she would have been charged with a whopping 9 DUIs! The way Georgia's Child Endangerment DUI Statute works is that if you're pulled over for DUI with a child under 14 years old in the car, the child endangerment charge is tacked on as another DUI. Under Georgia law this woman, with one arrest, is a habitual violator subject to felony prosecution and a minimum 5 year license suspension. She would have to pay a fine of $1500-$7500 and if caught driving on her suspended license serve five years in a state prison. With the enactment of HB 1176 and SB 236, Georgia DUI law just got a round of reforms and the Child Endangerment Statute was not amended. So, after a couple of beers or glasses of wine with dinner, be mindful of driving your children to movie or sleepover. A DUI arrest and conviction under such circumstances would mean a designation as a Habitual Violator plus heavy fines and a five year license suspensions. Being caught driving with a Habitual Violator status is a felony and could result in 5 years in jail. 

-Author: George Creal