Important DUI Terms

Difference between DUI and DWI

DUI stands for “driving under the influence” and DWI stands for either “driving while intoxicated” or “driving while impaired”. In some states, these terms can have different meanings or they could refer to the same offense while you were pulled over.

In either case, both DUI and DWI imply that a driver is being imposed with a serious offense of having risked the health and safety of himself and others. These charges are applied for not just alcohol and recreational drugs but also to driving when your prescription drugs impair your abilities. It is also crucial to understand that one is not adverse than the other and that both can have a huge effect on your life.

BAC

BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) is used to check the percentage of alcohol content in the driver’s bloodstream. Having a BAC of .10% means that an individual’s blood supply contains one part of alcohol for every 1000 parts blood. In most states, a driver having a BAC of 0.08% or higher is considered legally intoxicated.

Zero tolerance BAC laws

For anyone below the age of 21, driving with any amount of alcohol in their blood is considered illegal. This law is enforced by the entire 50 states. Even a slight amount of BAC levels like .01 or .02 would lead to a penalty. Considering such laws, even an innocent glass of wine with dinner could lead a young driver with a DUI charge.

Enhanced penalty laws( high BAC)

In some cases, BAC is not the only cause considered when penalties are issued. In certain states, DUI penalties are issued likewise if the driver is speed driving, has children onboard, causes an accident or denies to be tested.

Implied consent

The implied consent law states that all persons who opt to drive on public roadways thereby implicitly agree to undergo chemical tests of breath, blood, or urine to determine alcohol or drug content, if asked to do so by a law enforcement officer. In case the driver disagrees to take the test implied consent laws carry penalty charges like mandatory suspension of driver’s license.

Alcohol education and assessment

In the majority of the states, if you are convicted for a DUI, you will need to be evaluated for alcohol abuse at some point during the criminal proceedings that proceed. Alcohol abuse assessments are intended to understand whether and to what extent a driver has a substance abuse problem following an alcohol-related arrest. This can allow experts who are specialized and knowledgeable about alcohol abuse to develop a treatment plan to address your specific circumstances.

Administrative License Revocation

ALR or Administrative License Revocation is the removal of a DUI/DWI offender’s driver’s license at the time of an arrest upon the failure or refusal of a chemical test. This divergence is important – administrative revocations are immediate in nature and, because of this, ALR is one of the most highly effective ways to deter people from driving under the influence of alcohol. Not to mention, ALR laws are effective in saving lives.

DUI penalties by state

State	Imprisonment	Fines & Fees	License Suspension	Ignition Interlock Device Required
Alabama	None	$600 to $2,100	90 Days	No
Alaska	Min. 72 hours	$1,500	Min. 90 days	Yes
Arizona	Min. 24 hours	$250 base fine	90 to 360 days	Yes
Arkansas	1 day to 1 year	$150 to $1,000	6 months	Yes
California	4 days to 6 months	$1,400 to $2,600	30 days to 10 months	Yes, in some counties
Colorado	Up to 1 year (DUI), or up to 6 months (DWAI)	Up to $1,000 (DUI), or up to $500 (DWAI)	9 months (DUI), none for DWAI	No
Connecticut	2 days up to 6 months	$500 to $1,000	1 year	No
Delaware	Up to 6 months	$500 to $1,1500	1 to 2 years	No
Florida	6 to 9 months	$500 to $2,000	180 days to 1 year	Yes
Georgia	1 day to 1 year	$300 to $1,000	Up to 1 year	No
Hawaii	None	$150 to $1,000	90 days	No
Idaho	Up to 6 months	Up to $1,000	90 to 180 days	No
Illinois	Up to 1 year	Up to $2,500	Min. 1 year	Yes
Indiana	2 months to 1 year	$500 to $5,000	Up to 2 years	No
Iowa	2 days up to 1 year	$625 to $1,200	180 days	Yes, if BAC above .10
Kansas	Min. 2 days	$750 to $1,000	30 days	Yes
Kentucky	None	$600 to $2,100	90 days	No
Louisiana	2 days to 6 months	$1,000	90 days	Possible
Maine	30 days	$500	90 days	No
Maryland	Up to 1 year (DUI); up to 2 months (DWI)	Up to $1,000 (DUI); up to $500 (DWI)	Min 6 months (DUI & DWI)	No
Massachusetts	Up to 30 months	$500 to $5,000	1 year	No
Michigan	Up to 93 days	From $100 to $500	Up to 6 months	Possible
Minnesota	Up to 90 days	$1,000	Up to 90 days	-
Mississippi	Up to 48 hours	$250 to $1,000	90 days	No
Missouri	Up to 6 months	Up to $500	30 days	Possible
Montana	2 days to 6 months	$300 to $1,000	6 months	Possible
Nebraska	7 to 60 days	Up to $500	Up to 60 days	No
Nevada	2 days to 6 months	$400 to $1,000	90 days	Possible
New Hampshire	None	$500 to $1,200	6 months	No
New Jersey	Up to 30 days	$250 to $500	3 months to 1 year	Possible
New Mexico	Up to 90 days	Up to $500	Up to 1 year	Yes
New York	None	$500 to $1,000	6 months	Yes
North Carolina	24 hours (for level 5 offender) (however, if 3 aggravated factors are present -- Level 1A -- minimum of 12 months)	$200 (for level 5 offender)	60 days to 1 year	No
North Dakota	None	$500 to $750	91 to 180 days	No
Ohio	3 days to 6 months	$250 to $1,000	6 months to 3 years	No
Oklahoma	5 days to 1 year	Up to $1,000	30 days	No
Oregon	2 days or 80 hours of community services	$1,000 to $6,250	1 year	Yes
Pennsylvania	None	$300	No	Yes, if you refused to take a chemical test
Rhode Island	Up to 1 year	$100 to $500	2 to 18 months	No
South Carolina	48 hours to 90 days	$400 to $1,000	6 months	No
South Dakota	Up to 1 year	$1,000	30 days to 1 year	No
Tennessee	48 hours up to 11 months	$350 to $1,500	1 year	Yes
Texas	3 to 180 days	Up to $2,000	90 to 365 day	No
Utah	48 hours min.	$700 min.	120 days	No
Vermont	Up to 2 years	Up to $750	90 days	No
Virginia	Min. 5 days	Min. $250	1 year	Yes - if BAC .15 or above
Washington	24 hours to 1 year	$865.50 to $5,000	90 days to 1 year	Yes
West Virginia	Up to 6 months	$100 to $1,000	15 to 45 days	Possible
Wisconsin	None	$150 to $300	6 to 9 months	No
Wyoming	Up to 6 months	Up to $750	90 days	Yes - if BAC .15 or above

Get a Free, No-obligation SR22 Auto Insurance Quote

Currently Insured

Disclaimer

sr22insurancenow.com is not an insurance company. We have a large network of licensed insurance agents across the US. Once you have submitted your information to our system, sr22insurancenow.com may instantly match you with local agents in your area. Those agents will run free insurance quotes for you and provide those quotes via the information you have provided. This process may save you time and money because you can compare rates from multiple companies without having to contact numerous agents and provide your information several times. This website is not a substitute for legal advice, so when in doubt, check with your local courthouse, DMV, or legal advisor about your specific SR22 needs. All logos, brand names, trademarked words used in this site are owned by respective owners of the brands. sr22insurancenow.com doesn’t have any rights on any of the brand names or logos mentioned over here.

Call Us Now

Important DUI Terms

Quick Links

Company

Disclaimer