Driving a motor vehicle under the influence of anything which can impair your judgement, whether it be drugs or alchohol is a violation of the law in all 50 states. Several tests are in use today to determine if a driver has injested to much alcohol to be able to safely operate a vehicle, or possibly under the effects of a controlled substance. Most of the time, an officer who has cause to believe that a driver is intoxicated will carry out a field sobriety test. This may involve walking demonstrating that you can walk in a straight line, staying in a stationary position with your arms held out away from your body then touching the tip of your nose with your pointing finger or saying the alphabet with no mistakes. If you do not pass each of these tests with flying colors, you can expect to find yourself in an unenviable situation.
Blood Alcohol Content or BAC
It is illegal to operate a motor vehicle in the United States if you have a blood alcohol content of .08% or more. The number refers to the amount of alcohol in your blood.How these numbers are deciphered is usually with the aid of a breathalyzer or a bloodtest. It is a common practice in most of the country for an officer to first conduct a field sobriety test and then move to the more conclusive breathalyzer If need be, a urine or blood test may also be administered once arrested. Of course, this is generally left to the discretion of the arresting officerThe arresting officer is usually given the choice to request that such tests be administered.
Penalization
For many years drunk driving, DWI or driving under influence in the United States was treated as a minor offense. It was not uncommon for a person to receive four or more citations before there were any serious consequences. Fortunately this has changed over the years, and nowadays, even first time offenders are often harshly punished. Drunken driving courses, community service, vehicle interlock devices (basically a built in breathalyzer) are all potential punishments for driving under influence of alcohol or drugs.
In Conclusion
In order to eliminate any risk of being arrested for any DWI offense, you should never get behind the wheel while under the influence. If you have been drinking, the safest bet is to avoid getting behind the wheel. When you have plans for a night out that will include the consumption of alcohol you should call a cab or designate a friend to stay sober and drive you. A minimal consumption of alcohol can have a dramatic effect on your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. If you choose to drive after you have been drinking, you are running the risk of causing an accident which may not only affect your life drastically, but the lives of other drivers on the road. Additionally, if you have been drinking, and end up in an accident, you will be looked at as the cause of any injuries or deaths causes as a result of the accident. You will be in a situation where you will likely be looking at some extremely harsh criminal penalties. The fact of the matter is that it just is not worth the risk to drink and drive.
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Operating any type of vehicle while under the effect of either drugs or alcohol is a violation of the law in all 50 states. Several tests are in use today to determine if a driver has ingested to much alcohol to be able to safely operate a vehicle, or possibly under the effects of a controlled substance. The vast majority of the time, an officer of the law who has cause to believe that a driver is intoxicated will carry out a field sobriety test. An officer may require that you walk in an absolutely straight line, staying in a stationary position with your arms held out away from your body then touching the tip of your nose with your pointing finger or reciting the alphabet. Should you fail any of these field sobriety tests, you could find yourself in a lot of trouble.
BAC or Blood Alcohol Content
It is illegal to operate a motor vehicle in the United States if you have a blood alcohol content of .08% or more. The number refers to the amount of alcohol in your blood.These numbers are usually deduced from what is known as a breathalyzer, or a direct blood test It is a common practice in most of the country for an officer to first conduct a field sobriety test and then move to the more conclusive breathalyzer If need be, a urine or blood test may also be administered once arrested. Of course, this is generally left to the discretion of the arresting officer. The arresting officer is usually given the choice to request that such tests be administered.
Penalty
For many years drunk driving, DWI or driving under influence in the United States was treated as a minor offense. Prior to the current day, it was very common for individuals to receive a myriad of citations for driving while intoxicated before they had to face any real consequences. Thankfully, things have evolved over the years in this respect, and today many people will be punished harshly even for a first offense. Community service, drinking and driving education, driver’s license revocation, and even the mandate that your vehicle require that your pass a breathalyzer before the ignition will start are all possible forms of punishment if you choose to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The Conclusion
To avoid any risk that you will become the subject of a DWI arrest, the control is in your hands. If you have been drinking, the safest bet is to avoid getting behind the wheel. When you have plans for a night out that will include the consumption of alcohol you should call a cab or designate a friend to stay sober and drive you. A minimal consumption of alcohol can have a dramatic effect on your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. If you choose to drive after you have been drinking, you are running the risk of causing an accident which may not only affect your life drastically, but the lives of other drivers on the road. Furthermore, if you are involved in an accident while you are under the influence of alcohol and you survive, you will be deemed responsible for the injuries or death of any individuals involved in the accident. The criminal charges which you could be facing will be very serious. There is not one rational argument which can justify driving while intoxicated, so you should avoid doing so at all costs.
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