A drunk driving charge is when a person receives if he or she is caught driving while drunk. There are few restrictions as to the vehicles in which a person can drive while intoxicated and receive one of these charges. People can receive a drunk driving charge in a wide variety of vehicles. Some common alternative vehicles include boats and ATVs.
There are a number of ways that law enforcement can prove a drunk driving charge. Most famous among these is the breathalyzer test. Breathalyzer tests involve a person breathing into a device that measures the percentage of alcohol in their bloodstream. Alcohol affects everyone differently. But the law has determined that a person in most cases who drives with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 is driving impaired. Once that is determined, an individual is often arrested and is no longer able to drive that evening. This is not the only way that a police officer can determine a DUI.
There are also blood tests that measure the amount of alcohol in a person’s blood. These tests are more accurate and multiple tests do not have to be performed. But they are tests that can only be performed in a police station. The amount of time that elapses between the arrest and the test can often be enough time for a person to process the alcohol in their system. Therefore, officers have another tool that they can use in order to determine if a person is intoxicated. They can perform a field sobriety test. A field sobriety test is a subjective measure of a person’s ability to drive. These tests are often performed in front of a police dash camera that helps a person determine whether or not the officer was telling the truth about the situation. A combination of visual clues, field sobriety test, and breathalyzer tests are often all that is needed to determine whether or not a person is driving under the influence.
These charges can be serious and can result in a number of negative situations for the person involved. Drunk driving charges sometimes result in a person spending a night or two in jail or paying thousands of dollars. These penalties increase significantly for any negative factors associated with the charge.
