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February 06, 2012
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DUI/DWI Terms and Definitions

 
 

Excessive Drunkenness
A state of drunkenness in which a person is so far deprived of reason and understanding that he or she is incapable of understanding the character and consequences of an act.

Public Intoxication
Public intoxication is the appearance of a person who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol in a place open to the general public. In most American jurisdictions, public intoxication is considered a misdemeanor

Field Sobriety Tests
Field Sobriety Tests sometimes referred to by the acronym FSTs, are tests administered by the police to purportedly assess intoxication.

Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN)
Horizontal gaze nystagmus is a naturally occurring involuntary jerking of the eyeballs as they gaze side to side. It is theorized that when a person is impaired by alcohol, the nystagmus (the jerking of the eyeballs) is magnified or pronounced.

Vehicular Homicide
Vehicular homicide is the killing of another person by one’s unlawful or negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

Administrative License Revocation (ALR)
Simply put, the DMV automatically revokes your license when you are arrested for DUI as part of its duty to regulate drivers’ licenses. (The court may also take your license, and may also fine or jail you.)

Drunk driving penalties
penalties the court could impose are: (1) 6 months in the county jail: (2) $1,000 fine plus up to an additional 1,950 in penalty assessments; (3) 6 months driver's license suspension; (4) Your car impounded for 30 days. Second, third and fourth offenses within 7 years are punished by increasingly more harsh penalties.

OUI
OUI is operating or attempting to operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicants. "Intoxicants" are any substance, including alcohol and both illegal and prescription drugs. A person is "under the influence" if their mental or physical faculties are impaired to the slightest degree, regardless of whether it affects the a actual operation of the vehicle.

DWI
Driving while intoxicated is the offense of operating a motor vehicle in a physically or mentally impaired condition after consuming enough to raise one’s blood alcohol content above the statutory limit, or after consuming drugs. Penalties for this offense vary widely.

B.A.C.
B.A.C. is an acronym for Blood Alcohol Concentration. The most definitive way to test for B.A.C. is to test blood. The most common testing method is to take samples of breath (most usually in New Jersey with a “Breathalyzer”). The alcohol in the breath is mathematically converted to a blood alcohol reading.


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Did You Know?    
 
 
Your operator’s license and/or operating privileges can be revoked under the Administrative License Revocation (ALR)
Depending on the state, this law authorizes law enforcement to immediately confiscate a driver’s license as a result of a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) arrest. Drivers, who are eligible, may receive a temporary license for 30 days. Drivers who refuse the test will be revoked for a one (1) year time period. Drivers who fail the test will be revoked for 90 days - for first offense, or for one (1) year for any subsequent offense within a 12 year time period.

 


  Newsroom  
 


News about DUI & Drunk Driving cases in Massachusetts and nationwide:

State Dot Promotes Youth Traffic Safety
HONOLULU — With the summer in full swing and the 4th of July holiday weekend approaching, the state Department of Transportation continues to empha...
Read more >


DeFronzo to Be Honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Following a session in which he championed the recently signed "Steven's Law," a law strengthening Connecticut's drunk driving laws and named for a...
Read more >


More DUI Drunk Driving News >

 
 

Drunk Driving Terms

 


Today's Terms

Field Sobriety Tests

Definition:
Field Sobriety Tests sometimes referred to by the acronym FSTs, are tests administered by the police to purportedly assess intoxication.

Legal State Limits

Definition:
Laws for DWI and DUI vary from state-to-state. There is a chart listing state blood alcohol limits, license suspension, ignition interlock and forfeiture penalties.

Failed Sobriety Test

Definition:
A sobriety test is a method of determining whether a person is intoxicated. Among the common sobriety tests are coordination tests and the use of mechanical devices to measure the blood alcohol content of a person’s breath sample.

More DUI Attorneys.com Terms >

 

DUI/DWI Resources

 


Search Drunk Driving resources in our resource center:

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DUI/DWI Hot Topics

 
Topics Related to DUI/DWI:

  • Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)
  • Breathalyzer Test
  • Failed Sobriety Test
  • Legal State BAC Limits

More DUI/DWI Topics >

Massachusetts Drunk-Driving Attorney

 
If you live in the following cities and need legal help you should contact our Attorney as soon as possible:

  • Amherst
  • Attleboro
  • Beverly
  • Boston
  • Brighton
  • Brockton
  • Chelsea
  • Everett
  • Fitchburg
  • Framingham
  • Holyoke
  • Lawrence
  • Leominster
  • Lynn
  • Malden
  • Marlborough
  • Medford
  • Methuen
  • New Bedford
  • Peabody
  • Pittsfield
  • Plymouth
  • Quincy
  • Revere
  • Salem
  • Taunton
  • Westfield
  • Woburn
  Need to find a DUI Lawyer Nationwide? Visit DrunkDrivingLawyers.com
 


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