Is a DUI a Felony?

Drunk Driving Facts make for uncomfortable reading. There is no doubt that drunk driving accounts for a huge number of deaths through North America and indeed the world. But let’s first of all decide what we mean by “drunk driving” – which is called “drink driving” in Australia and the United Kingdom. Drunk driving is the act of driving a motor vehicle (automobile, truck, motorcycle, powered-boat and so on) while under the effects of alcohol. If you were wondering is a DUI a felony, the answer is it can be: please see our other articles.

The level of intoxication varies around the world, but is usually calibrated in BAC (blood alcohol content), also known as blood alcohol concentration and blood ethanol level. BAC is generally expressed as a percentage of alcohol in the blood: so a reading of 0.10 can be translated as 0.10% (one tenth of a percent) of a person’s blood (by volume) is alcohol. The general drink driving limit on the USA is 0.08. Only 3 US states still use the original standard of 0.10%. It is common for extra penalties to be added in cases where the intoxicated driver’s BAC exceed’s 0.20%.

According to the  latest figures available from NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), 33,808 people died in traffic crashes in 2009 in the United States, a third of which are estimated to have died in alcohol-related automobile and motorcycle crashes. On average the NHTSA estimate that someone is killed in an alcohol-related automobile crash roughly every 52 minutes in the United States. Of all the drunk driving facts, this is possibility the most sobering (no pun intended).

There are signs that the situation is improving. Since NHTSA began recording statistics in 1982, drunk driving deaths have fallen 49% from 26,173 to 11,095 in 2009. In 2009, roughly four people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving fatalities for every 100,000 Americans. According to official NHTSA figures, between 1991 and 2009, the rate of alcohol-related driving deaths per 100,000 population decreased 44% nationally.

• The state of New York was the first place in the USA to adopt drunk driving laws in 1910, closely followed by California a year later.
• The last state in the United States to outlaw drunk driving was Georgia.
• 31% of US citizens will be involved in an alcohol-related accident at some time during their lives.
• In the early days, there was no calibration of how drunk a person was, they were simply banned driving while drunk.
• 1982 was the worst year for drunk driving fatalities and pressure groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) and Young Adults Educating Responsible Drinking forced through stricter laws that have led to a massive reduction in deaths.
• 84% of alcohol-related fatalities are caused by people who have been drinking beer.
• Drunk driving is illegal in most areas of the world. In some places, driving a motorless vehicle such as a bicycle while drunk is also illegal.
• On September 10th, 1987, a London taxi driver called George Smith was the world’s first person to be convicted of drunk driving and he received a fine of  one pound and five shillings.
• In the USA in 1996, officers from local law enforcement agencies made 1,467,300 arrests  for driving under the influence of alcohol, compared with 1.9 million such arrests during the worst year on record (1983.)
• By 1997, something like 513,200 DWI offenders were in jail and prison, down from 593,000 in 1990, but an increase of 323,00 from the 1986 figure.
• The Per Se Drunk Driving Laws state that someone is guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol if their BAC levels are at the limit proscribed by law. No additional proof of impairment is needed in order to obtain a conviction.

Most jurisdictions started by outlawing DWI (driving while intoxicated), which served to ban only driving whilst affected by the effects of alcohol. Later, most jurisdictions changed their emphasis to DUI (driving under the influence), adding driving whilst under the influence of drugs.

In the following countries, it is illegal to drive with any amount of alcohol in the bloodstream: Bangladesh, Brazil, Brunei, Croatia, Czech Republic, Fiji, Hungary, Oman, Pakistan, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, United Arab Emirates and for new drivers in certain parts of Canada.

Although Drunk Driving Facts make uncomfortable reading, it is important that we know about learn.