Loudoun Deputies To Conduct DUI Saturation Patrols Friday Night

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting DUI saturation patrols Friday night in a crackdown on impaired driving as the Memorial Day weekend kicks off.

Deputies will concentrate their DUI enforcement in areas of Loudoun County that have high incidences of DUI-related arrests and crashes, the sheriff’s office said.

“We are committed to ensuring the public is safe while traveling along our roadways, and we want to remind residents to make smart choices, don’t drink and drive,” Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman said in a statement Friday.

Virginia has some of the strongest drunk driving laws in the nation, which also apply to drugged driving. First-time offenders lose their driver’s license for a year, and have a mandatory ignition interlock device when they begin driving again.

A three-year driver's license suspension occurs after a second conviction, and 20 days in jail is required for a second conviction within five years.

In 2019, 32 percent of all traffic fatalities were alcohol-related in Virginia, according to the Virginia DMV. In 2019, 18,648 people were convicted of DUI in Virginia.

All drivers with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or higher are considered to be driving under the influence. However, if drivers 21 and older are impaired with a blood alcohol content lower than .08 percent, they also can be convicted of DUI. Drivers under age 21 can be convicted of illegal consumption of alcohol with a blood alcohol content of .02 to less than .08.

Similar to driving under the influence of alcohol, those who drive impaired by prescription medications and illegal drugs can get a DUI. Law enforcement officers across Virginia are specially trained to recognize drugged drivers.