DUI DID YOU KNOW: .08
In the state of Ohio, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. But what many people don’t realize is you can still get a DUI with a BAC lower than .08.
According to Christy Morris, who taught Community Behavioral Health’s Decisions course for many years and is now the director of employment services, if you blow under the legal limit when you get pulled over, it’s the officer’s choice whether or not to arrest you.
“Once you have a DUI, you’re much more likely to get a second one,” Morris said. “You may have been pulled over with a .04 and been let go, but if you have a previous DUI and get pulled over with that BAC, they’re more likely than not going to arrest you.”
Morris said that it’s also important to note that your blood alcohol concentration depends on a number of factors, including your height, weight and interval of time in between drinks. Although there are several charts or online tools to calculate your BAC, Morris said the best option is to just not drink and drive.
“For one, you can still get arrested even if you’re below .08. For two, when you have these charts, you’re asking someone with impaired judgement to make a pretty important judgement call- to drive or not to drive,” Morris said.
Morris said there are plenty of transportation options for individuals who are drinking, including the app-based services Uber and Lyft, cabs, family members and designated drivers.
Decisions Driver Intervention from Community Behavioral Health
The Decisions Driver Intervention Program is a 72-hour driver intervention program, deisgned for individuals arrested for an OVI/DUI offense involving alcohol and/or drugs. This three day, overnight program provides research-based curriculum certified by the state of Ohio. This program is an alternative to the mandatory three day jail sentence for an OVI/DUI offense.
Learn more and see the program schedule.
Jackie June 26th, 2015
Posted In: Uncategorized
Tags: .08, Decisions, DUI, legal limit, OVI