Dwi - Understanding The Basics Of Dwi State Laws

Posted on December 9, 2007

Each of the 50 states have laws that vary when it comes to how they process DWI cases. There is a blood alcohol level that is used to determine who is breaking the law and who has drank less than the legal limit before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle. Most states use a blood alcohol level of .08 but some of them are as low as .05. The blood alcohol for commercial drivers and airline pilots is even lower at only .04.

The laws relating to DWI state laws changed significant during the 1980’s. Before that period it was possible for the blood alcohol limit to be .12. The legal drinking age was changed in 1989 from 18 to 21 and at that time most states initiated laws for DWI regarding any alcohol for someone under the legal drinking age.

If you have a very high blood alcohol level from .15 to .20 then you can face even stricter charges in many states. Having that high of a blood alcohol level can be very serious because you are at a high risk of passing out behind the wheel of the vehicle. Anyone who drives while they have been consuming alcohol can have impaired vision, judgment, and reaction times. This can lead to serious accidents and even fatalities.

Some people have a hard time with the stricter laws for higher blood alcohol levels. They hold the position that if the person is able to consume that much alcohol they simply have a higher tolerance for it that has occurred over the years. Some even feel they are less of a risk on the roads than someone who rarely drinks. Proving this issue one way or the other is almost impossible though.

Being charged with a DWI is a serious issue regardless of which state it occurs in. DWI is a misdemeanor in all 50 states but it can be upgraded to a felony charge if there is a high blood alcohol level or there is an accident. If someone is seriously injured or they are killed then the charges are generally much stiffer. It can also become a felony DWI charge if the person has one that one incident.

To find out the different DWI state laws you can go to the homepage for each state. You can also check legal websites to get the information. Anyone who has been convicted of a DWI can tell you that the process isn’t easy though regardless of the state it takes place in.

If you found this information on DWI useful, you’ll want to read this article about DWI Fines.

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