4.7. Driving While Under the Influence

4.7.1 - Penalties for DUI (including previous DWI and DUBAL convictions)

4.7.2 - Drinking and Driving

If you drink alcohol, even a little, your chances of being in a crash is much greater than if you did not drink any alcohol. No one can drink alcohol and drive safely, even if you have been driving for many years. Young drivers are more affected by alcohol because their bodies are still in the growth process and their livers have not developed to the extent that they can efficiently process the alcohol in their blood stream.

Because drinking alcohol and then driving is so dangerous, the penalties are very tough. People who drive after drinking risk heavy fines, higher insurance rates, loss of license and even jail sentences. A DUI conviction will remain on your driving record for 75 years.

4.7.3 - The Dangers of Drinking and Driving

Alcohol reduces all of the important skills necessary to drive safely, such as judgment, reaction, vision and concentration. Alcohol is absorbed into the lining of the stomach and then passes directly into the bloodstream and reaches your brain within minutes after consumption. Alcohol affects those areas of your brain that control judgment and skill and is one reason why drinking alcohol is so dangerous; it affects your judgment. A person's judgment is the first thing affected after drinking an alcoholic beverage. Good judgment is important to driving but in this case, judgment helps you to know when to stop drinking. Alcohol puts good judgment on hold. You do not know when you have had too much to drink until it is too late. It is a little like a sunburn, by the time you feel it, it is already too late.

Alcohol slows your reflexes and reaction time, reduces your ability to see clearly and makes you less alert. As the amount of alcohol in your body increases, your judgment worsens and your skills decrease. You will have trouble judging distances, speeds and the movement of other vehicles. You will also have trouble controlling your vehicle. If You Drink, Do Not Drive! The best advice is, if you drink alcohol, do not drive. Even one drink of alcohol can affect your driving. With two or more drinks in your bloodstream you are impaired and could be arrested.

It takes about an hour for your body to get rid of each drink. Time is the only thing that will sober you up.

There are ways of dealing with social situations. Arrange to go with two or more persons and agree which one of you will not drink alcohol. You can rotate among the group being a "designated driver." You can use public transportation or a taxi, if available.

4.7.4 - Implied Consent Law

You will be asked to take a blood test, a urine test, or a breath test if an officer thinks that you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs while driving. By law, if you drive in Florida, you have agreed by signing your driver license to take these tests if asked. If you refuse to take the tests when asked, your license will automatically be suspended for one year. A second refusal will result in an 18 month suspension and is a second degree misdemeanor.

In DUI cases involving death or serious injury, you will be required to take the blood test without your consent. The blood must be drawn by a doctor, nurse or other health professional. If you are unconscious and cannot refuse the blood test, blood may be drawn. The results of the test may be used as evidence, even if you object after becoming conscious.

4.7.5 - Other Drugs and Driving

Besides alcohol, there are many other drugs that can affect a person's ability to drive safely. These drugs can have effects like those of alcohol, or even worse. This is true of many prescription drugs and even many of the drugs you can buy without a prescription. Drugs taken for headaches, colds, hay fever or other allergies or those to calm nerves can make a person drowsy and affect their driving. Pep pills, "uppers" and diet pills can cause a person to be nervous, dizzy, and unable to concentrate and can affect his or her vision. Other prescription drugs can affect your reflexes, judgment, vision and alertness in ways similar to alcohol.

If you are driving, check the label before you take a drug for warnings about its effects. If you are not sure it is safe to take the drug and drive, ask your doctor or pharmacist about any side effects.

Never drink alcohol while you are taking other drugs. These drugs could multiply the effects of alcohol or have additional effects of their own. These effects not only reduce your ability to be a safe driver but could cause serious health problems, even death.

Illegal and some legal drugs may affect your ability to be a safe driver. For example, studies have shown that people who use marijuana make more mistakes, have more trouble adjusting to glare, and get arrested for traffic violations more than other drivers.

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