Drunk Driving Prevention

The legal drinking age in the District of Columbia is 21 years of age, and there are three very distinct drinking and driving laws that are enforced:

Driving While Intoxicated (DWI)
DWI applies to a person having a statutorily prohibited blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. The suspect can be convicted in court solely on the breath, blood, or urine results without any structured field sobriety test.
Driving Under the Influence (DUI)
DUI applies to a person having a blood alcohol concentration of .05 percent - .07 percent. The suspect can be convicted in court of this charge if the officer has other clues of impairment from a structured field sobriety test.
Under Age Drinking
Persons under the age of 21 years of age cannot purchase, consume, or possess any alcoholic beverages of any kind. If they are found to be operating a motor vehicle with any measurable amount of alcohol, they will be placed under arrest and charged with DWI—Driving While Intoxicated.

Technically, according to DC Code, the District of Columbia has a zero tolerance for driving under the influence. If a person 21 years of age or older has a blood alcohol concentration of .02 percent - .04 percent and extremely bad driving, this person can be placed under arrest for Driving Under the Influence of an alcoholic beverage.

The District of Columbia recently amended the DWI law, lowering the acceptable blood alcohol content (BAC) level from .10 percent to .08 percent. This new amendment became law on April 13, 1999

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