The DUI DWI Laws-Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

Driving is such a privilege. We don’t think twice about jumping in our cars and
running errands, picking up children from school or going to work. Especially in
California, driving a car is a necessity. Well, this privilege could be easily taken away. After drinking some beer or wine
and choosing to drive, a person could be pulled over for driving under the influence
of alcohol. California Law prohibits driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs,
or a combination of both.

California is a very strict state. It doesn’t take much drinking at all to break
the DUI laws. If your alcohol level in your blood system is .08% you have gone over
the limit. If your alcohol level is lower, but a police officer thinks that your
driving ability is impaired, you’re still in trouble. This applies if you’re 21 or
older.

If you’re younger than 21, the percentage of alcohol allowed drops to .01%.

If you’re found guilty, this offense is both a criminal and civil matter. Not only
will the courts prosecute you, but the person you hurt could sue you in a civil
trial. If you lose the case, your future earnings could be forever compromised.

A misdemeanor is what you will be charged with if you didn’t hurt anyone. You can be
sentenced to jail and fined up to $1,000.

If someone other than you was hurt or killed, the charge jumps to a felony. For
this you will probably go to prison and fined more than $1,000.

These charges are available for a judge to use at his or her discretion:

        County jail or state prison
        Fine, penalty assessment and restitution
        Drinking and driving treatment
        Vehicle impoundment or forfeiture
        License restriction, suspension or revocation
        Ignition interlock device requirement
        Probation

Not only will you have penalties imposed on you from the courts, but also from the
Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). They will suspend your license for at least a
year if not more. If this is your second or third offense, your license could be
taken away.

These penalties should be enough to make you reconsider ever driving after having
alcohol. There are enough penalties in place to ruin your life forever. However,
outside of these issues is just the overwhelming grief that you could cause
yourself, your family and someone else’s family. We’ve all seen and heard cases of
the destruction that a drunk driver can cause.

There have been many studies showing how alcohol impairs driving ability. Too often
a person’s arrogance makes them feel that they can still drive with no problems,
regardless of the drink they just had. Please don’t have that attitude. There’s
just too much to risk. It’s just not worth taking a chance to prove to yourself or
someone that you were right. You have children that need you, that expect you to
take care of them and look up to you as their role model. Please live up to their
expectations, and put others first. Don’t drive after drinking alcohol.