What is "DWI-DUI?"

All 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have by law set a threshold making it illegal to drive with a BAC of .08 g/dL or higher.  DWI is defined as “driving while Intoxicated.”  This means having a BAC of 0.08%. Washington D.C. has a Zero Tolerance for drivers under the age of 21. This means that if you are under the age of 21 you are not allowed to have any measurable alcohol in your system's blood, breath or urine. ​The Washington D.C. DUI / DWI law also includes driving under the influence of controlled substances such as marijuana, cocaine, inhalants and other drugs. DUI is defined as “driving under the influence” of alcohol or drugs.  This can be applied even if your BAC is below 0.08% if it can be proved you are impaired.

In 2017 there were 10,874 people killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, an average of 1 alcohol-impaired-driving fatality every 48 minutes. These alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities accounted for 29 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States in 2017. Of the 10,874 people who died in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes in 2017, there were 6,618 drivers (61%) who had BACs of .08 g/dL or higher. The remaining fatalities consisted of 3,075 motor vehicle occupants (28%) and 1,181 nonoccupants (11%) (Source: NHTSA/FARS and US Census Bureau, 2018).