Find a DUI Attorney to Help With Your DUI, OWI or DWI

Driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI) refer to driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs. As drunk driving is the cause of over a third of traffic-related deaths, authorities treat allegations of DUI very seriously. The legal limit for driving after consuming alcohol is a BAC limit of 0.08%. Law enforcement officers will attempt to measure this through a breathalyzer test or blood test, but they are not always accurate.

BAC stands for blood alcohol concentration or blood alcohol content. It is a system of measurement that shows the ratio of alcohol in the blood stream. It can be measured by a breath test after being pulled over for suspected drunk driving.

What many people do not know is that the reading from breathalyzer machines can sometimes not be an accurate reading of the individual's actual BAC. If the machine was not calibrated correctly, the readings will be skewed. Also, if there was any contamination in the machine it could mistake other compounds for alcohol. For example, someone who suffers from diabetes may have a high level of acetone in their body and the machine could decipher it as alcohol. Not only that, but if there was a small amount of alcohol in an individual's mouth, the breathalyzer instrument could measure that instead of measuring the breath.

If you have been accused of driving while intoxicated based on field sobriety tests, your results could also be challenged so that they cannot be used against you in court. These tests include the one-leg stand, the walk and turn, and Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus. Not only are they very subjective tests, but mistakes can be made in the administration and interpretation of these tests and its results. There are many circumstances in which a sober person could fail any of these tests and this evidence should not be enough to convict you.

Penalties of a DUI conviction include steep fines, jail, prison, and loss of driving privileges. To avoid these harsh penalties, contact a DUI defense attorney to see how they could help you. They will examine all the evidence against you and seek to get your charges reduced or dropped.