{"id":148,"date":"2019-11-13T08:00:15","date_gmt":"2019-11-13T16:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/?p=148"},"modified":"2020-07-27T09:10:16","modified_gmt":"2020-07-27T16:10:16","slug":"what-are-the-penalties-for-a-dui-or-dwi-charge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-are-the-penalties-for-a-dui-or-dwi-charge\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are the Penalties for a DUI or DWI Charge?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In Maryland, police officers\nare constantly on the lookout for intoxicated drivers.  DUI and DWI charges are enforced on anyone who\nis caught driving impaired.  This strict\nenforcement is likely why Maryland has fewer drunk driving fatalities than\nother states, as well as why fatalities and serious injuries among drunk drivers\nare steadily declining.  Before making\nthe decision to drive impaired, or if you\u2019ve recently been arrested for doing\nso, it\u2019s important to understand the penalties for a DUI or DWI charge in\nMaryland and how these penalties can be reduced.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Difference Between a DUI and a DWI<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you are suspected of\nintoxicated driving, you will likely be asked to take a breath test to measure\nyour blood alcohol content (BAC).  If\nyour BAC is found to be above .08% (a \u201cper se DUI\u201d), or if you\u2019re clearly and\nsubstantially impaired by drugs or alcohol, you will likely be charged with a\nDUI (Driving Under the Influence).  If\nyour BAC is between .07% and .08%, or if your coordination is impaired to some\nextent by drugs or alcohol, you will likely be charged with a DWI (Driving\nWhile Impaired).  While the consequences\nfor both can be severe, those with DWIs face lower fines and prison sentences\nthan those with DUIs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Penalties for a DUI and DWI<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Penalties for a DUI and DWI depend\non how many previous offenses you\u2019ve had in the past ten years and include\nfines, jail time, points assigned to license (8 for DWIs, 12 for DUIs), and\nlicense suspension.  While penalties can\nbe lowered with the help of an experienced attorney, those with a DUI and DWI\ncan face up to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DWI Charge<\/strong> <\/td>\n 1st<\/sup> Offense<\/strong><\/strong>\n <\/td>\n 2nd <\/sup>Offense<\/strong><\/strong>\n <\/td><\/tr>
Fines <\/td>\n $500\n <\/td>\n $500\n <\/td><\/tr>
Jail Time <\/td>\n 2 Months\n <\/td>\n 1 Year\n <\/td><\/tr>
License Suspension <\/td>\n 6 Months\n <\/td>\n 9 Months\n <\/td><\/tr>
DUI Charge<\/strong> <\/td><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Fines <\/td>\n $1,000\n <\/td>\n $2,000\n <\/td><\/tr>
Jail <\/td>\n 1 Year\n <\/td>\n 2 Years (5 Day Minimum)\n <\/td><\/tr>
License Suspension <\/td>\n 6 Months\n <\/td>\n 9 Months\n <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

Penalties can be\nsignificantly higher if you receive more than two offenses, you\u2019re under the\nage of 21, or if there was a minor in the vehicle at the time of the\narrest.  License suspension can be\navoided through Maryland\u2019s Ignition Interlock Program, which allows offenders\nto operate their vehicles after using a breath analyzer to check their\nsobriety.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Can Penalties for a DUI or DWI Be Reduced?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are facts about each\nspecific case that can significantly reduce penalties if an experienced\nattorney who understands this area of law presents the case.  The Law Office of Elizabeth A. Lawrence offers\nhigh-quality legal representation, personal attention, and professionalism to\nhelp defend the harsh penalties of DWIs, DUIs, and other serious traffic\noffenses in Maryland and District of Columbia.  Click here<\/a> or call (410) 986-0088 to consult with an\nexperienced attorney today. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Law Office of Elizabeth Anu Lawrence explains the penalties for a DUI or DWI charge in Maryland and how these penalties can be reduced. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-traffic-offense"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Are the Penalties for a DUI or DWI Charge? -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-are-the-penalties-for-a-dui-or-dwi-charge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Are the Penalties for a DUI or DWI Charge? -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Law Office of Elizabeth Anu Lawrence explains the penalties for a DUI or DWI charge in Maryland and how these penalties can be reduced.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-are-the-penalties-for-a-dui-or-dwi-charge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-11-13T16:00:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-07-27T16:10:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Penalties-of-DUI-or-DWI-with-The-Law-Office-of-Elizabeth-Anu-Lawrence.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"hploski\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"hploski\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-are-the-penalties-for-a-dui-or-dwi-charge\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-are-the-penalties-for-a-dui-or-dwi-charge\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"hploski\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bdbe6dff5f0615d3c6dfacad4b17af03\"},\"headline\":\"What Are the Penalties for a DUI or DWI Charge?\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-13T16:00:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-07-27T16:10:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-are-the-penalties-for-a-dui-or-dwi-charge\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":466,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-are-the-penalties-for-a-dui-or-dwi-charge\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/Penalties-of-DUI-or-DWI-with-The-Law-Office-of-Elizabeth-Anu-Lawrence.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Traffic Offense\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-are-the-penalties-for-a-dui-or-dwi-charge\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-are-the-penalties-for-a-dui-or-dwi-charge\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-are-the-penalties-for-a-dui-or-dwi-charge\\\/\",\"name\":\"What Are the Penalties for a DUI or DWI Charge? 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