The DUI laws adopted by the states provide for license restriction in order to curb the menace caused by driving while intoxicated. There are many fines and penalties imposed on the offender, including the suspension or retraction of the driving license. The National Highway Traffic Administration has listed the symptoms associated with driving under the influence of alcohol. Based on these, an officer on duty may ask you to take a blood-alcohol concentration test. If you refuse to submit to the test, under California law, your license can be suspended for one year, even if you are later found to be innocent.

The legal drinking age is twenty-one. Most states have zero tolerance laws in this regard. This means that if you are under 21 and are found driving with alcohol in your blood, your license will be taken away immediately.

Your license can be suspended if the blood-alcohol concentration level is found to be more than .20%. Also, keep in mind that in case your license is suspended, you have a ten-day deadline for calling the California DMV to request a hearing on the suspension and to get an extension on the temporary license.

The duration of the suspension and revocation of the license depends upon the nature and frequency of the offense. For a first time offense, the suspension is for a year; second offenses within a period of ten years invites the revocation of the license for two years. Also, the revocation can be for three years if the offender commits the same offense more than three times. In case, the chemical test shows.05% BAC or more, then the first offense invites suspension of the license for four months. If the offense is repeated more than twice in ten years, it could be suspended for one year.