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Drunk driving is the act of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs to the degree that mental and motor skills are impaired. It is illegal in all jurisdictions within the U.S. The specific criminal offense is usually called driving under the influence alcohol and/or other drugs (DUI), and in some states driving while intoxicated (DWI), operating while impaired (OWI), or operating a vehicle under the influence (OVI). Such laws may also apply to boating or piloting aircraft.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 17,013 people died in 2003 in "alcohol-related" collisions, representing 40 percent of total traffic deaths in the United States. Over 500,000 people were injured in alcohol-related accidents in the US in 2003. "Alcohol-related" is defined to include any driver, passenger or pedestrian involved in a fatal crash who has any trace of alcohol or suspicion of alcohol usage. According to the NHTSA, no other country uses these criteria in their statistical computations.
Laws
All states in the U.S. designate a "per se" blood or breath alcohol level as the threshold point for an independent criminal offense. A second criminal offense of driving "under the influence" or "while impaired" is also usually charged in most states, with a presumption of guilt where the person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is .08 or greater (units of milligrams per deciliter, representing 8 g of alcohol in 100 deciliters of blood). Some states include a lesser charge — often known as driving while impaired — at a BAC of, for example, .05 or above but less than the legal limit for the more serious charge. Prior to wider emphasis on drinking and driving in the 1980s, standards of .10-.12 were in place. The legal limit for aircraft pilots and commercial drivers in the U.S. is set at 0.04. All states also observe a much stricter standard for drivers under the age of 21, commonly of .01-.02; these are often referred to as "Zero Tolerance" laws. More on [ Drunk driving (United States) ]
Alcoholism
Drunk Driving :: Alcohol
Expert Witnesses :: Services
drunk driving is bad :/ @caitlingendreau but I'll give you a huuuuuge hug Monday :)
willieb1412 (willie) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:18:15 -0000
drunk driving is bad :/ @caitlingendreau but I'll give you a huuuuuge hug Monday :)
11/6/2009 7:48:55 PM: DRUNK DRIVING-LOS ALISOS BLVD // JERONIMO RD, LF
ocsdblotter (OCSD Blotter) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:15:50 -0000
11/6/2009 7:48:55 PM: DRUNK DRIVING-LOS ALISOS BLVD // JERONIMO RD, LF
@Natlee downtown Santa Ana. Planning on driving drunk?
Jennvy (Jennvy) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:11:45 -0000
@Natlee downtown Santa Ana. Planning on driving drunk?
Im just about to use twitter to help a brazilian acquaintance avoid the drunk-driving-clamp down-patrols in Rio. cross your fingers. M
thehoosiersuk (The Hoosiers) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:58:09 -0000
Im just about to use twitter to help a brazilian acquaintance avoid the drunk-driving-clamp down-patrols in Rio. cross your fingers. M
What's worse, driving drunk or with food coma?
mrray2010 (ray chabolla) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:55:03 -0000
What's worse, driving drunk or with food coma?
@myfellowdude I'm driving drunk to the house right. Now
jadecholland (Jade Holland) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:45:26 -0000
@myfellowdude I'm driving drunk to the house right. Now
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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - Information and resources on drunk driving and its effects on society, as well as prosecution and adjudication of impaired driving offenses.
Barrett - Law firm site providing legal information on driving while intoxicated in Texas.
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Kirk - Information on Washington State drunk driving laws, penalties and procedures, from a law firm.
American Prosecutor's Research Institute - National Traffic Law Center - Drunk driving legal issues, prosecutorial and judicial resources, legal briefs and a newsletter.
Bose Law Firm - Information on Virginia drunk driving and traffic laws.
Meta Description: [ Virginia DUI/DWI and Virginia reckless driving are criminal charges in Virginia - class one misdemeanor charges punishable by up to one year in jail. Consult a Virginia DUI lawyer or traffic attorney ]
Century Council - National Hardcore Drunk Driver Project - Information and links for drunk driving law enforcement, prosecution, prevention and alcoholism treatment, sponsored by an organization of distillers.
HowStuffWorks - How Breathalyzers Work - Examination of the scientific principles and technology behind breath alcohol testing devices.
Meta Description: [ Breathalyzers help police officers find out who's really driving drunk. Learn how these handy devices determine blood alcohol content based on alcohol in the breath. ]
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Impaired Driving On Trial - Information about how driving behavior is affected by alcohol and drugs, as well as scientific and evidentiary issues relating to criminal prosecution, from the Indiana Department of Toxicology. Last revised, September 30, 2003.
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Insurance Institute for Highway Safety - Overview of state drunk driving laws and penalties.
Intoximeter's Drink Wheel - Calculator to approximate blood-alcohol levels.
Meta Description: [ Intoximeters Drink Wheel / Drink Calculator for Breath Alcohol Testing / Breathalyser / Breathalysers / Screener / DUI / DWI / Ask DOTti ]
Land Transport Safety Authority - New Zealand statistics and penalties for drink driving.
Meta Description: [ Drunk driving. What you can do. The penalties. ]
Lawrence Taylor - Drunk Driving Law Center - Attorney site providing information for attorneys and the public on California's drunk driving laws, science, and police procedures.
Meta Description: [ Premier firm of California DUI defense attorneys provides a DUI attorney guide to California DUI laws, DMV license suspensions, breathalyzers and more. ]
Loring N. Spolter - FLDUI.com - Information concerning laws and law enforcement, from a Florida attorney.
Meta Description: [ Florida Dui Lawyer, drunk driving, innocent, broward county, health concerns
portal, accident, innocent, police abouse, driving under the influence, dui, driving drunk, drunk driving, broward, dade, palm
peach ]
Marbella-Lawyers.com - Guide to drunk driving laws in Spain.
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control - Impaired Driving Studies. - Injury fact sheet on alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents.
National College For DUI Defense, Inc. - Providing legal training and information for drunk driving defense attorneys and accused drunk drivers.
Meta Description: [ National College For DUI Defense, Inc. - providing legal training and information for drunk driving defense attorneys and accused drunk drivers ]
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - Detecting Drunk Drivers - Description of visual cues to drunk driving, from USDOT's DWI Detection Guide.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - Highway Safety Desk Book - The officer's guide to DUI detection and investigation.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - On DWI Laws in Other Countries - Comparison of laws in other countries with those in the United States. Includes data about illegal levels of blood alcohol content, sanctions for first and multiple offenses, rehabilitation and regranting of licenses, drivers licensing laws, enforcement practices, BAC testing rules, laws related to youth, and social attitudes.
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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - Sobriety Checkpoints. - State-by-state summary of laws and cases permitting or prohibiting DUI checkpoints and/or saturation patrols.
Police Notebook - BAC Calculator - Facts about alcohol consumption, a blood-alcohol chart and online calculator, provided by the Oklahoma University Police Department.
Meta Description: [ The Police Notebook - Law Enforcement Internet site to promote safety and crime prevention information. ]
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Road Traffic Authority, NSW - Drug and Alcohol Offences - Information from the government of New South Wales, Australia, primarily about penalties for alcohol-related driving offences.
Steven Oberman - DUI Network - Tennessee drunk driving laws, FAQs and information.
Meta Description: [ DUINetwork.com answers the most common DUI and DWI questions and lists qualified DUI Attorneys in your local area ]
Thomas Anelli - NYSDWI.com - Summary of New York's drunk driving laws, from an attorney.
Meta Description: [ New York's dedicated DWI DUI DWAI defense lawyer. Hire an experienced DWI attorney who will protect your rights. Don't let a New York State DWI Ruin your life, please contact our office today. ]
Transport Canada - Information on Drinking and Driving - Includes information from the Canadian government about national, provincial, and territorial laws concerning standards and penalties for driving impaired, as well as information about how the laws are applied.
Meta Description: [ This third edition of SMASHED reflects
the tremendous changes surrounding the issue of drinking and driving that have
taken place over the last 20 years. Its purpose is to increase awareness and
understanding of the problem so that we will all be in a better position to
take effective act... ]
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration - Rules, regulations, and programs, relating to drunk driving offenses by pilots.
Whats Driving You? - Information about alcohol, drinking and driving, and ways to think about behaviors associated with drinking, with summaries of drunk driving and 'zero tolerance' laws by state, from Intervention Instruction, Inc.
Meta Description: [ What's Driving You? Information about alcohol addiction, dwi, prevention, drinking and driving, and more. ]
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