At this time of year, it's not unusual for police departments to join forces to crack down on drunk driving. So it's not surprising that the Athens-Clarke County traffic unit and the Georgia State Police recently teamed up on a checkpoint on Prince Avenue.

Of the 143 people stopped at the Prince Avenue checkpoint, nine were arrested for DUI.

Checkpoints are to check drivers for safety violations and driving under the influence.

We discussed possible penalties for DUI convictions in our previous post, but let's go into a bit more detail on that subject.

Fines for first offenses -- as long as there were no other offenses within the past 10 years -- range from $300 to $1,000 plus statutory surcharges. Statutory surcharges range from 15 to 25 percent.

An individual can also be sentenced to jail for 10 days up to 12 months.

If you plead guilty or are convicted of DUI, you will be placed on probation. Probation can be up to 12 months, minus jail time that you received.

Georgia law also states that a person convicted of DUI must serve a minimum of 40 hours of community service if you are over 21 years of age. If you are under 21 years of age, you must do at least 20 hours of community service.

If you had another DUI within the past five years, you can lose your license for one year if you are 21 years of age or older.

If you are under 21, you can lose your license for six months if your blood alcohol level is under 0.08 percent, and 12 months if it is 0.08 percent or higher.

If you are over 21, you can get your license back after 120 days if you complete DUI school and pay the reinstatement fee.

You may be able to get a limited driving permit for the 120 days that your license is suspended.

If you're under 21, you face the real possibility that you won't be allowed to get a limited permit.

Talk over your options with an experienced attorney.

Source: Red & Black: "Vehicle checkpoint leads to nine DUI arrests," Jacob Demmit: Dec. 10, 2011