Alcohol on one’s breath, a staggering gait, slurred speech, and other forms of impairment are all indicative to law enforcement officers of acute alcohol intoxication. From these visual cues, such as staggering gait and slurred speech, a law enforcement officer may administer a breathalyzer test to determine if a subject is under acute alcohol intoxication. If driving, this individual will most likely be placed under arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence. A dui criminal defense attorney is likely the best source of support following a dui arrest for any defendant.
Blood Alcohol Content and the Law
Through lobbying, legislation, and other political maneuvers by the federal government, every state in the United States adheres to a .08 blood alcohol limit for legal driving. This means that any driver found with a BAC over .08 will be arrested for driving drunk. In recent years, however, states have also begun prosecuting drivers exhibiting excessive or extreme blood alcohol levels as well, under separate charges. Other states have also implemented programs for citing and arresting drivers with blood alcohol content below .08 for charges such as minor dui. Below is a table outlining BAC levels in drivers and drinkers, as well as the associated levels of impairment.
| Blood Alcohol Content Level | Level of Impairment |
|---|---|
| 0.02-0.03 | No impairment, slight relaxation felt |
| 0.04-0.06 | Minor impairment of reasoning, caution, and memory |
| 0.07-0.09 | Slight impairment of vision, reaction time, and hearing. At threshold level for legal driving |
| 0.10-0.125 | Significant impairment of motor coordination and loss of good judgment |
| 0.13-0.15 | Gross motor impairment and lack of physical control |
Getting Legal Help from DUI Attorneys
A dui criminal defense attorney deals specifically with drunk driving arrests faced by their clients. For this reason, many defendants rely on a given dui attorney to represent their case. This may require numerous attempts to dismiss a charge, as well as plea-bargaining to garner a favorable outcome. Having an attorney represent your dui case is essential to obtaining any form of favorable outcome, whether it is dismissal of the charges, reduction of the charges, or plea-bargaining to avoid jail or lengthy license suspensions.
