Driving Laws for Tangipahoa County, Louisiana
The northeastern Louisiana parish of Tangipahoa derives its name from an Indian word meaning "corn-gatherers," but Tangipahoa County's very detailed driving laws actively discourage its citizens from gathering corn in the form of liquor and then getting behind the wheel. If you get stopped there, driving even slightly drunk, you will be on the receiving end of some of the most stringent DUI laws in the country, and your immediate alcohol level is not their only concern.
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Law Enforcement Overtime Enforces DUI Laws
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Louisiana's driving laws also apply to boat traffic. Tangipahoa County has traditionally made the list of Louisiana's top 10 parishes with the most deaths and incidents involving alcohol abuse. 2010 brought a 50% decrease in fatal crashes, largely due to a group called Tangipahoa -- Reshaping Attitudes for Community Change. TRACC provided funds for thousands of hours in police overtime and worked with the Governor's office in applying for a federal Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant. Police in Independence and Ponchatoula as well as Amite City, the county seat, and Hammond, the most populous area, worked with the state patrol and with fish and wildlife officers.
Tangipahoa County Checkpoints
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Truckers and other commercial drivers face extra scrutiny in Tangipahoa County, Louisiana. Even if you're not driving through one of the Tangipahoa County towns that have extra law enforcement, you still have a greater chance of being stopped for traffic violations because of the county's many sobriety checkpoints. A routine stop could result in a large fine, points off your drivers license, or even being arrested or losing driving privileges if you are in a commercial or church vehicle. A school bus is also a commercial vehicle in Tangipahoa County. Bus drivers are legally drunk if blood alcohol is .04 per cent. The intoxication level is .08 per cent for noncommercial drivers.
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Underage Drinking Enforcement
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Drivers under age 21 are especially at risk for DUI. Drivers under the age of 21 in Tangipahoa County, Louisiana, must not be found with blood alcohol of .02 per cent or greater. TRACC is so determined to catch young offenders that they train extra patrols in underage alcohol enforcement each year. They also sponsor an anonymous tip line, 1-877-NOT-B4-21, where complaints about underage drinking and driving are answered directly by Crime Stoppers of Tangipahoa. If drivers under the age of 21 test at an intoxication level of .08 or higher, they can be tried and penalized as adults. With blood alcohol between .02 and .08, first-time underage offenders receive a fine and substance-abuse counseling. A minor who refuses or fails a chemical test automatically loses driving privileges for 180 days.
Child Endangerment
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An intoxicated school bus driver is automatically charged with child endangerment. If if you drive while intoxicated in Tangipohoa County with passengers 12 years of age or younger, you will be charged with child endangerment. Even if a court lessens or dismisses the DUI charges, you will still have to serve mandatory prison time for endangering a minor.
Aggravated DWI
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Tancipohoa County charges DUI for mixing pills and alcohol, as well. Anyone arrested with a blood alcohol content of .20 or more in Tangipahoa County, Louisiana, will automatically lose their license for two years, on the first offense. Second high-BAC offenders will receive four-year license suspensions and may also be eligible for installation of an ignition interlock system making their vehicle inoperable without a breathalyzer test.
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