What is the difference between a DUI and a DWI?

What is the difference between a DUI and a DWI? 


A lot of people presume a DWI (driving while intoxicated) to be a more severe offense than DUI (Driving Under the Influence) and in many states it is.  Virginia law does not define a difference.  In fact, some of your paperwork may mention DUI, while other paperwork you have been given may mention DWI.  It can be very confusing to someone who has never been through the legal system before. 


Virginia's DUI/DWI statute is can be found at 18.2-266 of the Code of Virginia.  As you may read, it specifies five subsets that are criminalized including the following, to-wit: driving while under the influence of alcohol regardless of the blood alcohol content (this means you can get charged for a DUI with a BAC of below .08 even if you are 21 years old or older), driving with a blood alcohol content above .08, driving while under the influence of drugs, driving while under the influence of a combination of alcohol and drugs, and driving with a blood concentration of .01 milligrams of PCP per liter of blood, .02 milligrams of cocaine per liter of blood, or .1 milligarms of MDMA per liter of blood.  Nothing specifies DUI or DWI within the statute.


For more information you can contact the experienced attorneys at Boone Beale at 888-DUI-UWIN.

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