This test includes three routines: a) Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus, b) Walk and Turn, and c) One Leg Stand. In case he spots alcohol in your vehicle or alternatively smells alcohol, he may ask you to perform Standard Field Sobriety Test (STST). What happens when you are caught in a state of DWI in Texas? The first thing that might take place once you are stopped by an officer on the road is the officer asking whether you have been drinking. Moreover, after two convictions, a driver must install an ignition device that prevents the car from being operated if he had been drinking. Driving license may be confiscated for up to two years. Second offense may result in a fine of up to $ 4,000, a jail time of up to a year and a 2 year loss of driving license.A driver convicted of a third DUI offense can be forced to pay a sum of $ 10,000. He might be sent to 180 days in prison or be deprived of his driving license for up to a year. Like many states in the USA, Texas implements the third offence system, according to which the severity of punishments increases dramatically from first to second and third offences.Ī driver convicted of first DUI offence may be subject to a fine as high as $ 2,000. In that case, the violator is subject to harsher penalties:ĭriving license confiscation for 180 days. A person can be fined up to $500 just by driving with an open alcohol bottle in his car.ĭriving drunk with a child under the age of 15 is considered a much more severe felony to the extent of the driver being accused of child endangerment. The law on DWI states that a person is legally considered intoxicated if his BAC is higher than 0.08. It is no wonder that Texas uses stringent enforcement means to battle the phenomenon of driving under influence of alcohol. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, about every 20 minutes, there is a casualty in an alcohol related road accident. According to the Star-Telegram, in 2011, more than 70,000 Texans held more than 3 convictions of intoxicated driving. This perturbing trend does not show any improvement. These numbers turn Texas into the leader state in drunk driving deaths. In addition, more than 93,000 drivers were arrested for drinking under the influence of alcohol. These statistics indicate a death rate of 5 per 100,000 people. In 2009, there were 1,235 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in Texas, 185 were drivers under the age of 21. This strict policy can be explained in face of the prevalence of alcohol related accidents in the state. Authorities show no tolerance towards DWI. The state of Texas is no exception to that. In that year, all 50 states decreed that driving with a BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) of 0.08 constitutes DUI and is considered a crime. Hence, the year 2009 is marked as a turning point in the legal treatment of DWI. Put in another way, out of 10,000 deaths in road accident, around 7,000 involved driving with high levels of alcohol in the blood stream. According to the same year’s data, one person died every 48 minutes in alcohol related road accidents. In 2009, 32 percent of total road accidents were the result of driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol. The United States is facing grim statistics regarding DWI (Driving while intoxicated).
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