subject: The Laws Regarding Dui And The Necessary Procedures To Find Out If Someone Is Driving Under The Infl [print this page] The acronym DUI stands for Driving Under the Influence. If someone operates or has control of a motor vehicle, and is under the influence of alcohol, they can be considered to be guilty of DUI. This is an extremely dangerous situation for the driver, as well as for others on the road.
California has laws against DUI. You cannot drive if you are under the influence of either drugs or alcohol. This law also extends to piloting planes or boats as well. You can get DUI for being drunk and piloting your boat down a waterway. It's important to have such laws. Imagine how many lives would be at risk if there was an intoxicated pilot!
When you are sober, you can do two things at once - like steering and braking - at the same time. If you have a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.02% this ability is impaired. At BAC of 0.08% you have so much impairment you're no longer safe to drive.
That is why California instituted a law in 1990 that makes it illegal to drive with a BAC of 0.08% or more. If you are in California, and you are found to have driven with a BAC of this much or more, you will be arrested and charged with DUI.
California is not the only state to have this designation. In fact, many other states have followed suit, and have trained law enforcement personnel to identify when someone is intoxicated.
Law enforcement personnel use a variety of tools to accomplish this, including field sobriety tests (FST). In an FST, an officer will assess someone's movement and reflexes in order to gauge impairment. It cannot identify the legal limit for DUI however. This requires knowledge of the BAC.
To accurately test BAC, you need to conduct a chemical test. The most accurate way is via blood or urine sample, although measuring alcohol in the breath will also work. The breath measurement tool is the most widely known, and is called the Breathalyzer.
Criminalizing DUI has saved many lives. Since the 0.08% BAC law, DUI fatalities have dropped considerably.
