{"id":218,"date":"2020-04-22T08:00:08","date_gmt":"2020-04-22T15:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/?p=218"},"modified":"2020-04-23T11:34:12","modified_gmt":"2020-04-23T18:34:12","slug":"the-differences-between-dwi-and-dui-in-maryland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/the-differences-between-dwi-and-dui-in-maryland\/","title":{"rendered":"The Differences Between DWI and DUI in Maryland"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"DWI<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Many people in the state of Maryland confuse DWI and DUI\noffenses. While they are both drinking and driving offenses, there are several\nkey differences between each of them. In this blog, we provide clarity and\ndistinguish between the two offenses and their potential consequences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Defining DUI<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

DUI stands for driving under the influence. It is the more\nsevere of the two Maryland drinking and driving offenses. Police officers\nreserve the right to stop drivers suspected of driving under the influence to\nperform field sobriety tests or a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) test. The\nthreshold BAC for a DUI offense is .08. Drivers at or above this level will\nreceive the offense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defining DWI<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Driving while impaired (DWI) is the less severe of the two\ntypes of drinking and driving offenses. Maryland considers an individual with a\nBAC of .07 – .08 to be impaired by alcohol, and drivers who test with this BAC\nwill be given the offense. Additionally, drivers who are within the legal BAC\nlimit and fail other field sobriety tests may also be charged with the offense.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DWI and DUI Consequences<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

DWI and DUI offenses are both quite serious in the state of\nMaryland, and a host of criminal penalties and license sanctions are attached\nto each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First time DUI offenders can receive the following\npunishments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • A fine of up to $1,000<\/li>
  • Up to one year of imprisonment<\/li>
  • Twelve points assessed to driving record<\/li>
  • Potential mandatory attendance and participation\nin an alcohol abuse assessment and program<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    First time DWI offenders can receive the following\npunishments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    • A fine of up to $500.<\/li>
    • Up to two months imprisonment<\/li>
    • Eight points assessed to driving record<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      These penalties are subject to an increase in severity after\nmultiple offenses, or if a minor was present at the time of the offense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      We Can Help You Avoid a Conviction or Minimize Your Punishment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      There are facts about each specific case that can significantly\nreduce penalties if an experienced attorney who understands this area of law\npresents the case. The Law Office of Elizabeth A. Lawrence offers high-quality\nlegal representation, personal attention, and professionalism to help defend\nthe harsh penalties of DWIs, DUIs, and other serious traffic offenses in\nMaryland and District of Columbia. Click here or call (410) 986-0088 to consult\nwith an experienced attorney today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Many people in the state of Maryland confuse DWI and DUI offenses. While they are both drinking and driving offenses, there are several key differences between each of them. In this blog, we provide clarity and distinguish between the two offenses and their potential consequences.<\/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":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":221,"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218\/revisions\/221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}