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August 24, 2010
Drunk-Driving
             
 
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DUI/DWI Terms and Definitions

 
 

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

Alcoholism
Alcoholism, also known as “alcohol dependence,” Includes four symptoms: Craving: A strong need, or compulsion, to drink. Loss of control: The inability to limit one’s drinking on any given occasion. Physical dependence: Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety, occur when alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking. Tolerance: The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol in order to “get high.”

Impairment
Well known is the fact that the consumption of alcohol can cause impairment. Perhaps less recognized is that fact that impairment rises gradually at lower levels but dramatically at higher levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

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.

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.

Child endangerment
Most states now have some kind of child endangerment statute. Currently, 27 states have statutes that create special sanctions for cases of driving under the influence while the offender is transporting a child at the time of the offense.

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.

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.

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


Contact a DUI Lawyer in South Carolina now!

 

 
Did You Know?    
 
 
In a DUI arrest, depending on the state, the officer will order you to take either a breath or blood test
If you fail (or refuse to take) a breath test, the arresting officer will take your license, and give you a yellow temporary license (Notice/Sworn Report/Temporary License). If your license was valid, the temporary license will be valid for 30 days from the date of arrest. In a blood test, the officer will send the Notice/Sworn Report / Temporary License to the DMV to issue a temporary license by mail.

 


  Newsroom  
 


News about DUI & Drunk Driving cases in South Carolina and nationwide:

The Facts Of Impaired Driving
Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every 31 minutes and nonfatally injure someone every two minutes (NHTSA 2005). 
Read more >


Impaired Driving - Public Awareness Programs

Five hundred billboards statewide dislpayed the DDP logo and an anti-DUI message. The DDP logo and message have also been used to promote ...

Read more >


Ralph Hingson Joins NIAAA
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Director Ting-Kai Li, M.D., announced...
Read more >


More DUI Drunk Driving News >

 
 

Drunk Driving Terms

 


Today's Terms

Zero Tolerance Policy

Definition:
Prohibition of drinking for those under the age of 21

Field Sobriety Tests

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

Sleep Deprivation

Definition:
Drowsy driving is greatly under reported because there is no test for it, as there is for intoxication, no clear way to identify it, and many states don't even have a code for it on their vehicle accident reporting forms.

More DUI Attorney.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 >

South Carolina Drunk-Driving Attorney

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

  • Abbeville
  • Aiken
  • Anderson
  • Beaufort
  • Belton
  • Bennettsville
  • Bluffton
  • Camden
  • Charleston
  • Chester
  • Clemson
  • Clover
  • Columbia
  • Conway
  • Darlington
  • Dillon
  • Easley
  • Elgin
  • Florence
  • Fort Mill
  • Fountain Inn
  • Gaffney
  • Gaston
  • Georgetown
  • Goose Creek
  • Greenville
  • Greenwood
  • Greer
  • Hartsville
  • Hilton Head Island
  • Inman
  • Irmo
  • Ladson
  • Lancaster
  • Laurens
  • Lexington
  • Marion
  • Moncks Corner
  • Mount Pleasant
  • Murrells Inlet
  • Myrtle Beach
  • Newberry
  • North Augusta
  • North Charleston
  • Orangeburg
  • Pickens
  • Piedmont
  • Rock Hill
  • Seneca
  • Simpsonville
  • Spartanburg
  • Summerville
  • Sumter
  • Taylors
  • Travelers Rest
  • Union
  • Walterboro
  • West Columbia
  • York
  Need to find a DUI Lawyer Nationwide? Visit DrunkDrivingLawyers.com
 


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