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03Jun 2020

If I Am Intoxicated, Can My Kid With A Learner's Permit Drive Me Home?

Let's say you've just taken the family out to dinner and were in a 
really good mood because your kid just got his learner's permit. You 
feel like you and your wife now have a designated driver and you both do 
what you haven't done at family restaurant nights in well over decade. 
You both get drunk during dinner! You feel it is no big deal as you can 
just sit in the passenger seat and let your kid drive your family home. 
Problem solved!

The fact is that this is a rather murky matter of law. Each state treats 
mandating that the person in the passenger seat is sober differently. 
Some states are completely fine with it while others make it a crime for 
the supervising driver to be under the influence. In New York, for 
example, there is a statute called Abbigail's Law. "The bill was named 
for Abbagail Buzard, an 8-year-old girl who was killed in a rollover 
crash with her underage cousin at the wheel. He only had a Learner’s 
Permit, and Abbagail’s father, who told police he was too drunk to drive 
himself, was in the passenger seat, acting as the ‘supervising 
driver..."  Reports NCNews.

Regardless of the laws in your state, you should never let someone with 
a learner's permit drive if you are the supervising driver and you 
yourself are under the influence of any substance. If you live in 
Burlington, Essex, Colchester, Winooski, Williston, Shelburne or 
anywhere in the state of Vermont, and have been arrested or charged with 
DUI or any crime, call Handy Law for aggressive and experienced legal 
defense.