Drunk driving is a global problem that does not solely affect Americans. Many countries have laws that prohibit driving drunk at much lower levels than the legal limits employed in the United States. The punishment is just as severe and sometimes even greater. In the United States all 50 states make driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of 0.08% or higher a crime. Some states even have lesser charges for driving while impaired or under the influence of alcohol with a target BAC level of 0.05% to reach the level of a criminal charge.

Around the World DWI

A review of DWI laws from around the world reveal that many countries make drunk driving illegal with a lower BAC levels than those set in the United States. For example, the following countries have a zero-tolerance policy with respect to drinking and driving. Drivers in the countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, and Romania cannot have any alcohol in their bloodstream. If they do, they get arrested and charged with DWI.

The next group of countries consider drunk driving arrest and charges with a BAC reading of 0.02% or higher. They are: China, Estonia, Poland, and Sweden. Readings of 0.03% BAC levels in Serbia, Japan, and Uruguay trigger a DWI arrest and charge.

A great majority of countries begin DWI charges at levels that in the United States get charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. BAC reading of 0.05% or more coupled with driving are illegal in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Taiwan, and Turkey.

Lastly, the countries of Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom, charge and arrest for drunk driving similar to the United States when the BAC level is 0.08% or higher.

Texas DWI Laws

To be charged with Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) in Texas a law enforcement official must build a case against you by proving you operated a motor vehicle while intoxicated. You are intoxicated while driving in Texas when your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level is at or over 0.08%. To determine your intoxication level during a traffic, stop, a police officer who suspects you are drunk driving, will ask you to participate in field sobriety testing and ask you to blow into a breathalyzer to measure your BAC levels. If the field sobriety test and breathalyzer, you will be charged with drunk driving in Texas.

DWI Defense Attorney in Texas

Plano and Denton Texas DWI Defense lawyer Kimberly Griffin Tucker represents people in criminal DWI proceedings as well as the corresponding civil administrative ALR hearings following drivers’ license suspensions. From the charge to arraignment; sentencing through nondisclosure and expungement, Kimberly Griffin Tucker handles the full spectrum of DWI cases in Denton, Collins, and Dallas Counties to help you resolve your DWI arrest as quickly as possible. Contact Kimberly Griffin Tucker to schedule your free case evaluation.

(image courtesy of J. Pelkonen)