Dwi-related Crimes

By Author: Jamie Hanson
Total Articles: 3534
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"Driving While Impaired" or "Driving Under the Influence" of (intoxicating drinks), whichever way one wishes to expand this very familiar acronym, the fact remains that the worldwide statistics on DWI cases and offenders are alarming!

Statistics on DWI Cases

Of all combined the road accidents, as high as 60- 75% of serious collisions and fatalities are accountable to DWI offenders. With such an alarming statistical figure, it is only natural that worldwide, traffic patrol and law enforcement departments have to take extra precautionary measures to prevent such crimes from taking place.

The survivors who come out of DWI-related road accidents are often permanently impaired and have to live on a bare-minimum survival condition rest of their lives. Some of them, along with their severely impaired physical conditions, have to go through prison terms for offending such serious traffic crimes.

The BAC test

In most locations, the Blood Alcohol Condition (BAC) determines the amount of alcohol present in a particular driver's bloodstream at the time of test. These tests are conducted in many ways: ...
... through breathalyzer tests, blood tests, or urine tests

If the BAC level at any time exceeds the maximum permissible level in a driver's body, then the driver will be immediately penalized even though he may not have committed a crime but still remains a potential threat to road safety.

If a driver has been suspected of driving under the influence and has been asked to go through a BAC test by traffic patrol or law enforcement department, he or she may or may refuse to complete the test. I such cases, depending on the state law, the driver's license may be suspended or the driver may be given another form of penalty like serious fine or increased insurance points or both.

The DWI offense is viewed as more severe and dealt with harsher penalties if the suspected driver is also consuming strong drugs along with alcohol. The influence of strong drugs, combined with a high blood alcohol level, can seriously impair a driver's ability to drive.

Potential Driving Problems When Driving Under the influence

A person, driving under the influence of intoxicating liquid, can suffer from the following
Inabilities, even though these inabilities are not inherent to the driver's physical make-up, research seems to suggest that a perfectly healthy and expert driver, when driving under the influence of intoxicating liquids, will tend to suffer from:

Lack of alertness
A lack of good judgment
Lack of clear vision
Lack of sharp reflex and the lack of an ability to quickly react to adverse conditions on the road
Lack of emotional balance

All the above conditions are potential hazardous for normal driving conditions and DWI offenders rarely remain "safe drivers", no matter what their ages or driving expertise levels.

Alarming traffic fatalities attributable to DWI offenders should indicate that DWI ought to be taken very seriously and more vigilant committees or awareness groups should be formed to raise public knowledge and public's role in actively preventing drunk drivers to be behind the wheels.

Writer writes about Houston DWI and Houston criminal attorney issues.