Do you think Driving while under the influence of alcohol can get you in real trouble? Yes, that’s quite the truth. Following, we are giving you a brief guide, explained everything you need to know about DUI and DWI charges don’t make the mistake that most people do, both of these terms are not the same, they have different meanings, yet they describe the same offense.

Anyways, if you want to keep yourself safe from an arrest, we highly recommend that you keep reading the following. It will help you stay out of trouble for a very long time.

Interesting Facts

You should know that someone is severely injured or killed off in an auto crash every 20 minutes. Therefore, you better take responsibility for your action. Don’t drink or use drugs (even medicine) before you drive.

Impairment begins with your first ring. Factors like gender, body weight, and the number of drinks you just jotted downplay an important role in how badly you are impaired. Of course, everyone has their way around alcohol, some people are better at handling themselves once they have a few drinks, but this doesn’t mean you are ready for driving again. The Blood Alcohol content tests whether the BAC is under legal limits or not. It doesn’t matter how well you handle yourself, and if your BAC is off-limits, you are going to the court to face prosecution.

Anyone who is found to be driving while being intoxicated or drunk will be charged and arrested. It doesn’t matter; it was you who was driving the car, or it was your passenger. Regardless, both of you will face the charges, and it serves some time in prison.

If you had a child on board, you would face some extra charges like child endangerment. This applies to children who are under the ages of 15 years old. This makes the charges laid against you very seriously. So you better hire a Fort Worth DWI Attorney to represent your case. These attorneys are experienced and well-trained. They will make sure you stay out of jail, and it doesn’t matter how severe the charges are. Calling for legal help will help you get out of this mess.

The Basics

In any case, DUI or DWI, they both mean that the person operating the vehicle is charged with an offense as he risked the well-being of others and himself. These charges are applied to drugs beyond alcohol and recreational. Your prescription drug can also impair your ability to drive. Therefore, you must understand which drugs you can take before you put your hands on an automobile. It can save your skin. The show of goodwill can help a lawyer to get their client out of trouble. But after the incident took place, he chooses to call in the authorities instead of running away. This shows goodwill. So, make sure you hire an experienced lawyer.

Using Terms from One State to Another

Depending on the laws of your state, both of these terms are used to describe driving while under the influence of drugs or being impaired. In some cases. Some states call this offense a DUI while others refer to it as DWI.

The interesting bit it, in some cases states use of both of these terms. Quite often, one refers to alcohol, while the other one refers to being impaired by rugs or some unknown substance. The meaning can be different from one state to another. In some cases, DWI refers to operating a motor vehicle while being intoxicated because of alcohol. This is taken in to account when the VAC is over the legal limited. DUI is considered when the person was driving while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

In states where both of these terms are used, DWI means driving while being impaired by drugs, alcohol, or some other substance.  Therefore, it serves in your best inters to check the definitions in the state you live in.

OUI and OWI

There are acronyms for drunk driving as well. OUI means Operating under the influence. There are only three states that use this acronym for drunk driving. These are Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine. OWN is the acronym for Operating during intoxication. It is used only in some jurisdiction.

The operation difference means more than just driving a vehicle. Even if the vehicle is stopped and wasn’t running, the subject can be charged with Operating while under the influence.

Blood Alcohol Concentration isn’t the Only Factor in Determining Impaired Driving

Any of these charges mean arresting the person who is believed to be the driver. If the driver was impaired and continued to drive the car, then they will be charged with impaired driving. It doesn’t matter even if there BAC exceeds the legal limit or not. For instance, if you fail the Field Sobriety Test or show impairment by some other means, you will be charged with driving while impaired even if the blood alcohol levels were down.

Drugged Driving and DUI

If you are deemed impaired by arrest officer, but your breathalyzer test shows you are not under the influence of alcohol, the officer will suggest that using some other drugs that affect your ability to drive save. This could include anything from your prescription to nonprescription medication. Illegal drugs are not the only thing that will get you in trouble.

If this is the case, then the offer will call for a Drug Recognition Expert to the scene. It’s possible the officer checking you off is the expert himself. Anyways, you will now undergo a series of tests. If the evaluation process show you are under the influence of drugs, you will be charged with DWI or DUI. The charges depend on what your state has in store for the offense of driving under the influence or drunk driving.

The Consequences of an Arrest

We don’t need to say this. An arrest for driving under the influence can be bad for you. No matter what was the case, if you are arrested for driving under the influence, you are going to face some serious consequences. If you are convicted or you plead guilty, you are going to lose your driving license. The court might need you to pay some extra fines.

In some other cases, you are going to spend some time in jail. You will be placed on probation and will be needed to perform some community service. You will have to do all of this to get back the driving license. Some states require you to attend defense driving classes.

With all of this, we have established the fact that taking prescription and nonprescription medicines will impair your ability to drive. You are at risk of being losing your license. So you better take precaution with your medications as well.

In most states, you will go under evaluation for your drinking and substance abuse patterns. The results of this evaluation might or might not need you to take art in alcohol (or drug) treatment program. These programs need you to attend support group meetings, or you may enter a residential treatment facility.

Effects of a Conviction

When you get your license back, you will need to obtain SR-22 insurance. This means you will double or triple your insurance premium. This depends on the laws of your state. You will need to pay higher premiums for up to three years in a row.

Also depending on your site, you will need to have an ignition interlock device installed on your vehicle. You won’t be able to start your car unless you blow into the device and it evaluates your alcohol level, and deem you fit to drive. Sure, you are going to pay for this device, and a monitoring fee every month.

The verdict is, getting arrested for DUI is a time-consuming process, it can cost you a lot of money, and it will haunt you for a very long time. The good news is, all of this is avoidable. You better not get behind a wheel while you are under the influence of your medication, drug or alcohol. Take extra care about your prescription drugs. If you are careless, these things will start affecting your attention and focus. It can also cause drowsiness.

The Good News

As we said before, you can protect your and others wellbeing if you don’t drive while you are impaired. The fact is, your ability to focus and to drive is affected by the blood alcohol content. You can also get convicted if you used any prescription drugs. So, you should avoid getting behind the wheel after your hit of weed, a drink and consuming your daily meds if you need to go, you are better off getting a cab. Take our work. If both scenarios are compared, you rather pay for the cap instead of a DUI charge.