Proposed Changes to Maine OUI Laws

DUI enforcement advocates are pushing for several changes to be made in Maine OUI law. One of these proposed changes is to give lifetime license suspensions to repeat OUI offenders. Many Maine OUI lawyers do not think these rules are fair for a number of reasons. Right now, a second OUI conviction can result in a 3 year license suspension. This is a long period of time to go without the means to get around and can affect your career and education. A lifetime suspension would have the potential to hurt many productive members of society who made a few bad decisions in the past.

Repeat OUI offenders are responsible for many DUI related accidents and injuries. Statistically, many drivers who are convicted of an OUI are likely to have more DUI arrests in the lifetime. Police and other groups believe that the way to stop this cycle is to take away that driver’s ability to drive forever. Losing one’s ability to drive for the rest of their lives can have a serious impact on that person’s ability to work and earn a living.

These laws are proposed to punish drivers like the Portland man who drove his truck into a family riding their bicycles in August. He was found to have a BrAC that was nearly twice the legal limit. When multiple deaths are involved, proponents of the law say that the driver deserves to never drive again.

Right now, the maximum license suspension in an OUI case is 10 years and it will likely stay that way for the foreseeable future. This license suspension law makes sense on paper; but if put into practice, honest people could be severely affected. Young people who made bad decisions to drink and drive would face losing their licenses for the rest of their lives.