Myths about DUI/DWI Cases

In this blog post I will discuss about myths about DUI/DWI cases.

Myth: Most people believe that having one drink usually increases the chances of being arrested in an accident.
Truth: Drivers with low blood alcohol content are equally prone to causing accidents than drivers who have had nothing to drink.

Myth: Blood alcohol content is the best indicator of driver impairment.
Truth: People who consume alcohol at a regular basis are likely to get impaired much lesser than people who consume on an infrequent basis.

Myth: Breathalyzers are importantly a reliable and consistent indicator of Blood Alcohol Content, and (2) Blood Alcohol Content is a reliable and consistent indicator of driver impairment all the time.

Truth: Breath alcohol content is highly inconsistent as a measure of blood alcohol content from person to person and situation to situation. Levels of actual impairment at low to modest BAC levels are highly variable between individuals and are also affected by a wide range of common factors.

What is Driving Under the Influence?

Driving under the influence or commonly known as DUI is a term used by most states, including California, Florida and Pennsylvania. The term explains a state of being legally intoxicated or impaired while operating a motor vehicle. The case can be registered when intoxication is typically when a breath, blood or urine test registers a blood alcohol content of 0.08%. Minors under the legal drinking age may be declared under the influence at a lower BAC percentage. For treating these special cases, law enforcement may arrest a motorist for being impaired even when their BAC is lower than 0.08%.

DUI is also known as DWI in eight states that mainly include New York and Texas, and Operating a Motor Vehicle while intoxicated in Ohio. For the most part, the acronyms are equivalent and represent being charged with drunk driving. In a few circumstances however, DUI may represent a lower offense in a DWI state. Having a BAC higher than 0.08% would be called a DWI while a DUI would apply to motorists with a BAC of less than 0.08% who are still deemed to be impaired and thus incapable of driving safely.