The DUI or Driving Under Influence of Intoxicated drug is a serious offence in all states of the US as well as in other Western countries. The state legislature toughens the DUI laws on a yearly basis. It defines extreme DUI as a condition in which the alcohol content in the blood is 0.15% to 0.18%. Previous legislation had the Blood Alcohol content limit or BAC from 0.10% to 0.08%.
Drivers are heavily intoxicated while driving on roads because of the tolerance they have developed with alcohol. According to Detective Herbert Jacobs of the Phoenix Police Department, most people could not take in enough alcohol to make their BAC 0.15% or 0.20%, because they would vomit first.
Statistics show that nearly two-third of all accidents resulting in an alcohol related fatality involves a driver with a BAC of at least 0.15%, or nearly twice the legal limit. These drivers are entitled as ‘dangerous’. If a victim undergoes an alcohol treatment or educational program, the suspension may be reduced. Extreme DUI conviction will lead to a minimum penalty of 10 days in prison compared to one day for regular DUI.
Any one convicted of any drunken driving offense loses the license for thirty days and has driving privileges restricted for sixty more days. The record for a conviction of a 0.20% BAC or more also reflects ‘extreme DUI’. These crimes are more serious and they can prolong the imprisonment duration.
- Comprehensive Overview of DUI Policies and Trends in California: Staff Memorandum 2024-01 - April 23, 2024
- DUI News March 11 -25, 2024, Los Angeles County - March 26, 2024
- DUI News March 3 -10, 2024, Los Angeles County - March 11, 2024
