Did you know that DUI laws apply to more than just alcohol? The Alabama DUI Statute cover five areas where a person can be arrested for a DUI. These five areas are as follows:
The first area is alcohol. Driving your vehicle with an blood alcohol percentage of greater than .08% qualifies you for arrest in this subpart. This is what is most commonly associated when others talk about DUIs.
The second area is again for alcohol but is only for the "influence of alcohol" so even if you have a blood alcohol percentage of less than .08%, but the alcohol you had consumed had affected your driving, you could be arrested for DUI.
The third area is for "controlled substances." When one thinks of controlled substances, they often automatically think about illegal drugs, but this applies to all controlled substances. Some prescriptions that you may take could be a controlled substance. Having a legal prescription for these items will not prevent you from being arrested for a DUI.
The fourth area is for any combination of controlled substances and alcohol.
Finally, the fifth area is a catch-all. It applies to any substance "which impairs the mental or physical faculties of such person to a degree which renders him or her incapable of safely driving." For instance, if you took your benadryl but you knew that benadryl made you unbearable sleepy, and you fell asleep or was driving erratically because of it, you could get a DUI for it.
More on DUIs to come.
The first area is alcohol. Driving your vehicle with an blood alcohol percentage of greater than .08% qualifies you for arrest in this subpart. This is what is most commonly associated when others talk about DUIs.
The second area is again for alcohol but is only for the "influence of alcohol" so even if you have a blood alcohol percentage of less than .08%, but the alcohol you had consumed had affected your driving, you could be arrested for DUI.
The third area is for "controlled substances." When one thinks of controlled substances, they often automatically think about illegal drugs, but this applies to all controlled substances. Some prescriptions that you may take could be a controlled substance. Having a legal prescription for these items will not prevent you from being arrested for a DUI.
The fourth area is for any combination of controlled substances and alcohol.
Finally, the fifth area is a catch-all. It applies to any substance "which impairs the mental or physical faculties of such person to a degree which renders him or her incapable of safely driving." For instance, if you took your benadryl but you knew that benadryl made you unbearable sleepy, and you fell asleep or was driving erratically because of it, you could get a DUI for it.
More on DUIs to come.