Impaired Driving

Impaired Driving is one of the biggest problems and cause of crashes, injuries and fatalities today, and there are three distinct impaired driving laws that are enforced by the Metropolitan Police Department:

  1. Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) - Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. A driver can be convicted in court based solely on the breath, blood or urine results without any structured field sobriety test.
  2. Driving Under the Influence (DUI) - BAC of .07 percent or lower. A driver can be charged with DUI if, in addition to a BAC reading, the driver has other signs of impairment from a structured field sobriety test and from observations of the suspect's driving behavior.
  3. Under Age Drinking - Persons under 21 cannot purchase, consume, or possess any alcoholic beverages of any kind. If they are found to be operating a motor vehicle with any measurable amount of alcohol, they will be placed under arrest and charged with DWI.

If you're arrested and convicted for a first-time impaired driving offense, penalties include:

  • Up to 90 days in jail.
  • Six months license revocation.
  • Sky-rocketing insurance rates.
  • Thousands of dollars in fines.

DC participates in the regional Checkpoint Strikeforce anti-impaired driving public awareness campaign. Checkpoint Strikeforce combines high visibility checkpoints and paid advertising to create awareness of enforcement and educate the public about the dangers and consequences of impaired driving.

Find out more about DC Impaired Driving laws.

Find out more about Checkpoint Strikeforce in DC, an anti-drunk-driving initiative of the Mid-Atlantic Region.