People do not understand the reason why there is so much stress given on the fact that no one should drive when they are drunk. The intoxication of our mind is dangerous to driving, not only to our life but also to the life of the other drivers and pedestrians on the road. We should always appreciate the life we have been gifted by God and hence should also regard the fact that driving while being drunk is a serious offense and is daunting not only for yourself but for all the drivers on the road. That is the major reason why drunk driving is strictly prohibited and hence severe charges are implied on people who are caught driving while intoxicated with alcohol or drugs.

In clear terms, DUI (driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs) is described as the act of using a vehicle while clearly being not in their regular senses and is a criminal offense in almost all the parts of the world. It is shocking to find that in the United States alone out of 39% of road accidents is attributed due to DUI which actually comes up to the $51 billion cost on an annual basis. On more specific terms, it has been researched and concluded that 44% of traffic casualties in the United States is due to alcohol intoxication.

Criminal Offenses pertaining to the driving cases usually are termed as driving under the influence (DUI), driving while intoxicated (DWI), driving under intense influence (DUII), operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (OMVI), operating while intoxicated (OWI), based on the jurisdiction. In the initial times of drunken driving cases, the charges were implied on tests and experiments such as standing on a single leg for 45 seconds, walking in a straight line, and lastly the final judgment depended on the officer’s opinion on the intoxication of the drunk.

When the scientifically proven tests for checking the alcohol in the blood were established that is the tests to check the blood alcohol content (BAC), this helped in strictly pinning down the culprit for the offense he/she had committed. BAC is a very simple test and is actually expressed as the percentage of alcohol in given amount of blood. Even though, no measuring units are assigned for these kind of tests, but yet in most of the European nations it is referred to as in milligrams of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood. However, it is most conveniently expressed in percentage and thus, it is illegal for a person with BAC of 0.08% or more to drive on the road.

Usually, the penalties or charges against the drunk driver vary from nation to nation. However, in the United States by the stringent efforts of organizations like Mothers against Drunk Driving, stiffer laws and punishments have been incorporated for drunken driving cases. There are huge fines and penalties for cases of drunk driving and experienced DUI attorneys mostly defend the offenders by converting the charges into lesser offenses.

When we are driving while being drunk, it is not only our lives which is getting endangered, but there are several others on the road too, whose life also gets affected by a simple mistake from our side and hence it is our duty to be law-abiding citizens all the time when we are on the road and to strictly follow the rules of not driving while we are drunk.

Author Bio: The author is quite interested in the DUI cases and researches on the work portrayed by Athens DUI Lawyers who have showcased their deep insight on several drunk driving cases.

Category: Legal
Keywords: drunk driving, DWI, criminal offense