(File Photo of a Police Siren Light)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrsibrug, PA) A new law is now in effect in Pennsylvania, which changes penalties for driving under the influence. This was signed by Governor Josh Shapiro last month, but before that, if somebody was arrested and charged with a DUI, prosecuting attorneys could allow first-time offenders to enter what is called an Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition, or ARD. A Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling last April changed that because district attorneys and judges could no longer look at someone who was charged with DUI for a second time as a repeat offender if they successfully completed a diversion program after their first DUI. Even though the PA Supreme Court stated that a first DUI was not a conviction on your record, you can now face penalties as if it were a conviction because of this new Pennsylvania law.