What is a DUI Conviction?

The term DUI means ‘driving under the influence’. A DUI on your record can indicate a problem and can mean stiff fines, jail time or loss of your driver’s license. A conviction of a DUI means you are guilty of driving under the influence and depending on how many times you have done, there may be a harsh punishment.

DUI- a bit of history

 The DUI was not put into law until the early 1900s. The DUI Law started in New York, other states quickly followed suit. There was no legal limit. The law was simple: if you were drunk you could not drive. Many times the punishment was a night in jail and a fine. It was not until the 1930s that the first DUI test came to be. Even then, it was a bit silly. They tested drivers by having them blow up a balloon it was called the ‘drunkometer’. Later in the 1950s the breathalyzer was invented and was deemed a better way to gauge intoxication levels.

DUI education

Many people were simply unaware of how truly dangerous it was to drive drunk. In the 1970s and 1980s people began to understand that it was not okay to drive drunk. Groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, also known as M.A.D.D., and school programs as D.A.R.E., aimed to educate the public. Commercials on tv, service announcements on the radio and poster spread their message. Today it is standard practice to cover the dangers in both driver's education classes and in the school system.

DUI and the punishment

The current punishments for a DUI/DWI are jail time, loss of license and fines. If convicted, you must enroll in a treatment program. Community service is not unheard of. If you cause an accident, you could be facing charges for murder, assault with a deadly weapon and a multitude of other charges. If you kill or injure someone in a life altering way, that is a burden you will carry forever. No time in jail or treatment program can remove the fact that you took a life and destroyed others.