The holidays are here and with them comes a risk of getting a DWI. Whenever you drink, there is always a potential that you’re going to become impaired. Driving after a drink is never a good idea, even if you think you’re fine to do so.
It’s not advised to drive because the .08% limit isn’t actually what it takes to get a DWI. You can get a DWI at a lower limit if you appear impaired or can’t complete field sobriety tests. The risks are simply too high to make driving home after a drink a reasonable idea.
New York lists several different charges that are possible if you’re caught drinking and driving. Some of them include:
- Driving while ability impaired by alcohol, which can be given if you have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .07% or less but more than .05%.
- Driving while ability impaired by a drug that is not alcohol. For example, if you take a cough syrup that makes you drowsy and causes you to drive dangerously, you could face this charge.
- Aggravated driving while intoxicated, which is for cases where a driver’s BAC is .18% or higher.
- There are many others.
Since the charges you could potentially have placed against you may vary, it’s smart to talk to your attorney about the specific charges that are against you and the penalties that may result from them. Not all of these charges have the same kinds of penalties, so you’ll want to know what the charge is and how it may affect you before developing a defense.
