{"id":318,"date":"2021-02-24T08:00:07","date_gmt":"2021-02-24T16:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/?p=318"},"modified":"2023-05-18T11:37:40","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T18:37:40","slug":"can-i-be-convicted-for-dui-even-if-i-wasnt-driving-a-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/can-i-be-convicted-for-dui-even-if-i-wasnt-driving-a-car\/","title":{"rendered":"Can I Be Convicted for DUI Even if I Wasn\u2019t Driving a Car?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/DUI-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-319\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/DUI-1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/DUI-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/DUI-1-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s illegal to operate a vehicle while under the influence\nof alcohol in all 50 states. But what if you weren\u2019t actually driving the car\nat the time of your interrogation or arrest? Things start to get a little more\nnuanced! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can I Be Convicted?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>To quickly get to the point, you can absolutely get charged\nwith DUI even if you weren\u2019t driving at the time of your arrest. Most often,\nthis takes place when drivers are parked in their car, but not actually driving\nit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key determining factor here is whether the driver in\nquestion was deemed \u201cin control\u201d of the vehicle. That means that if you are in\nyour driver\u2019s seat with access to your car keys, you could potentially be\ncharged with a DUI, but not driving. If your keys are in the ignition but the\ncar is off, you could be charged with DUI with intent to drive (this results in\nthe same charge). With this in mind, we recommend never \u201csleeping it off\u201d in\nyour car. A better option would be to rely on a friend or rideshare service to\nget you home safely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Defending Yourself<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you happen to be charged with a DUI while not driving,\nthere are a few avenues you can explore with your attorney when building a\ndefense. For starters, you\u2019ll want to explore methods of proving you had no\nintent to drive. Were you simply outside of your vehicle? It would be hard to argue\nthat you had intentions to drive if that were the case. Even if you were inside\nof your car, perhaps a friend or family member was in possession of your keys?\nIn this case, they would be the one deemed in control of the vehicle.\nUltimately, the nuances of each situation may present opportunities to prove\ninnocence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">We Can Help You Avoid a DUI or DWI Conviction or Minimize Your Punishment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There are facts about each specific case that can\nsignificantly reduce penalties if an experienced attorney who understands this\narea 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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/contact-us.php\">here<\/a> or call (410) 986-0088 to consult with an\nexperienced attorney today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s illegal to operate a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol in all 50 states. But what if you weren\u2019t actually driving the car at the time of your interrogation or arrest? Things start to get a little more nuanced!<\/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-318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-traffic-offense"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Can I Be Convicted for DUI Even if I Wasn\u2019t Driving a Car? -<\/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\/can-i-be-convicted-for-dui-even-if-i-wasnt-driving-a-car\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can I Be Convicted for DUI Even if I Wasn\u2019t Driving a Car? -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s illegal to operate a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol in all 50 states. 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