Can DUI charges follow you out of state?

If you have ever worried about whether certain crimes will follow you when you leave the state, you should know that a charge for driving under the influence is particularly difficult to escape.

Even if you leave the state, chances are that a Colorado DUI conviction will follow you.

Getting charged with a DUI

You can get a DUI for driving under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances, even legal prescription or medicinal drugs.

According to reports published by the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice, Colorado has a very high conviction rate for DUI charges. The state is also unlikely to expunge such a conviction. As a first-time offender, you could receive the following penalties:

• Community service
• Fines
• Probation
• License suspension or revocation
• Mandated alcohol and drug education classes

Your penalties depend in part on how high your blood alcohol content is, how many prior convictions you have and whether you caused an accident.

Dealing with an IDLC-member state

As a participant in the Interstate Driver’s License Compact (IDLC), Colorado will communicate with other participating states about your violations and charges. After a DUI conviction in Colorado, the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles will put a hold on your license in the national registry. A prior conviction in one state can count as a prior conviction in another, so you can expect to face penalties outside of Colorado. The only states that are not members of the IDLC are Georgia, Michigan, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

DUI charges will follow you through most states. By not driving while impaired, you can keep yourself safe and your record clean.