Stories & Lifestyle: drunk driving in the US – no petty offense

Drunk driving is not a petty offense - not in Germany and not in the US. Doing this can quickly lead to a prison sentence. So better inform yourself about the regulations of the individual US states before departure. We will now inform you about the general regulations of US traffic law.

Legal situation In general, the limit in most US states is a blood alcohol level of 0.08. However, in many states the limit is 0.1. For certain situations and drivers under 21, the limit is a blood alcohol concentration of 0.0 - 0.01.

In general, these regulations have even been tightened over the past years. Between 1980 and 2003, roughly 1,600 (!) DUI (driving under the influence) laws have been passed in the US. This is a result of the actions of many anti-alcohol associations, especially Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD). Especially the blood alcohol limits have been lowered significantly. About a dozen states have Zero-Tolerance-Laws for drivers under 21.

The penalties For drunk driving, the penalties are clearly defined, latitude of judgment is very limited. Repeated offenders often face an obligatory prison sentence - fines are very high.

The different degrees of the offence are subdivided into:

DUI
Within the legal limit

DUI with BAC of 0.08 or more
Above the legal limit

Extreme DUI
Usually with 0.15 or more

In the state of Arizona, for example, this would be the legal consequences:

DUI or DUI with BAC of 0.08 or more

At least ten days in prison plus a fine of $250 plus a surcharge, up to six months in prison and fines up to $2,500 plus a surcharge.

In the legal practice, the drunk driver always bears the higher degree of fault and injury to persons may lead to fines of several million Dollars.

Please note that in roughly two thirds of the US states the traffic policeman does not have to give you back your driver's license if the breath tester confirms the suspicion of alcohol consumption or the driver refuses to take the test in the first place. And: more strictly than in Germany, a DUI may also be suspected if you are under the legal limit. The driver's behavior will be precisely documented by the police should they suspect a DUI, and will be evaluated according to the above mentioned degrees.

One more piece of advice: you may already get in trouble for transporting alcohol in the passenger area of your car. You might be accused of drinking it during the drive. So, in general, you should put all alcoholic beverages, especially after you went shopping, in the trunk of your car.