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August 24, 2010
Drunk-Driving
             
 
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DUI/DWI Terms and Definitions

 
 

Drunk
Intoxication as we know it is not required for one to be guilty of drunk driving. Your condition may be enough for you to be found guilty of a drunk driving offense under the current definition of the law.

Legal State Limits
Laws for DWI and DUI vary from state-to-state. There is a chart listing state blood alcohol limits, license suspension, ignition interlock and forfeiture penalties.

Boaters Intoxication
Drinking While Boating Open containers are legal, but operators of boats are subject to boating while intoxicated laws, similar to driving a vehicle. Operators or passengers may also be subject to public intoxication laws

Drunk driving penalties
penalties the court could impose are: (1) 6 months in the county jail: (2) $1,000 fine plus up to an additional 1,950 in penalty assessments; (3) 6 months driver's license suspension; (4) Your car impounded for 30 days. Second, third and fourth offenses within 7 years are punished by increasingly more harsh penalties.

DWI
Driving while intoxicated is the offense of operating a motor vehicle in a physically or mentally impaired condition after consuming enough to raise one’s blood alcohol content above the statutory limit, or after consuming drugs. Penalties for this offense vary widely.

Vehicular Homicide
Vehicular homicide is the killing of another person by one’s unlawful or negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

DUI
DUI is driving under the influence; it is the offense of operating a motor vehicle in a physically or mentally impaired condition, especially after consuming alcohol or drugs. Generally, this is a lesser offense than driving while intoxicated.

Child endangerment
Most states now have some kind of child endangerment statute. Currently, 27 states have statutes that create special sanctions for cases of driving under the influence while the offender is transporting a child at the time of the offense.

Reasonable suspicion
The officer must have what is legally termed a "reasonable suspicion," based on something unusual that is actually observed about the way a person is driving. This is a very low standard and it can be satisfied by virtually anything which appears out of the ordinary and that might be a sign of a driver being under the influence. In addition, during holiday seasons, police officers typically set up field sobriety checkpoints where they routinely stop every driver who passes through the checkpoint.

Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN)
Horizontal gaze nystagmus is a naturally occurring involuntary jerking of the eyeballs as they gaze side to side. It is theorized that when a person is impaired by alcohol, the nystagmus (the jerking of the eyeballs) is magnified or pronounced.


Contact a DUI Lawyer in Maine now!

 

 
Did You Know?    
 
 
Your operator’s license and/or operating privileges can be revoked under the Administrative License Revocation (ALR)
Depending on the state, this law authorizes law enforcement to immediately confiscate a driver’s license as a result of a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) arrest. Drivers, who are eligible, may receive a temporary license for 30 days. Drivers who refuse the test will be revoked for a one (1) year time period. Drivers who fail the test will be revoked for 90 days - for first offense, or for one (1) year for any subsequent offense within a 12 year time period.

 


  Newsroom  
 


News about DUI & Drunk Driving cases in Maine and nationwide:

Students encouraged to "Make the Right Choice" and to prevent drunk driving
Oahu, HI —  Attorney General Mark J. Bennett, The Hawai`i Hotel and Lodging Association and The Century Council, a national not-for-profi...
Read more >


McGreevey Strengthens Law to Detain Drunk Drivers
(CAMDEN)—As part of a series of efforts to keep families and their children safe, Governor James E. McGreevey today signed Senate Bill S-1868, whic...
Read more >


Lowey Offers Drunk Driving Amendment To Transpo Bill
WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland) announced today an amendment to H.R. 3550, The Transportation Equity Act:  A...
Read more >


More DUI Drunk Driving News >

 
 

Drunk Driving Terms

 


Today's Terms

Failed Sobriety Test

Definition:
A sobriety test is a method of determining whether a person is intoxicated. Among the common sobriety tests are coordination tests and the use of mechanical devices to measure the blood alcohol content of a person’s breath sample.

Public Intoxication

Definition:
Public intoxication is the appearance of a person who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol in a place open to the general public. In most American jurisdictions, public intoxication is considered a misdemeanor

Administrative License Revocation (ALR)

Definition:
Simply put, the DMV automatically revokes your license when you are arrested for DUI as part of its duty to regulate drivers’ licenses. (The court may also take your license, and may also fine or jail you.)

More DUI Attorney.com Terms >

 

DUI/DWI Resources

 


Search Drunk Driving resources in our resource center:

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DUI/DWI Hot Topics

 
Topics Related to DUI/DWI:

  • Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)
  • Breathalyzer Test
  • Failed Sobriety Test
  • Legal State BAC Limits

More DUI/DWI Topics >

Maine Drunk-Driving Attorney

 
If you live in the following cities and need legal help you should contact our Attorney as soon as possible:

  • Auburn
  • Augusta
  • Bangor
  • Biddeford
  • Brunswick
  • Lewiston
  • Portland
  • Saco
  • Sanford
  • Scarborough
  • South Portland
  • Waterville
  • Westbrook
  • Windham
  Need to find a DUI Lawyer Nationwide? Visit DrunkDrivingLawyers.com
 


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