DUI/DWI Terms and Definitions

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).

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.

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

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.

Zero Tolerance Policy
Prohibition of drinking for those under the age of 21

DUI
DUI is driving under the influence; it is the offense of operating a motor vehicle in a physically or mentally impaired condition, especially after consuming alcohol or drugs. Generally, this is a lesser offense than driving while intoxicated.

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.)

Failed Sobriety Test
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.

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.

Drunk
Intoxication as we know it is not required for one to be guilty of drunk driving. Your condition may be enough for you to be found guilty of a drunk driving offense under the current definition of the law.