What Does DUI Mean? What Does DUI Stand For in GA?

By: Larry Kohn, Criminal Defense Attorney Atlanta and DUI Attorney Atlanta, GA ranked by U.S. News & World Report as Best Law Firms in America, and DUI lawyer Atlanta Cory Yager, Georgia Super Lawyer and Atlanta DUI lawyer, and former cop for all traffic offenses leading to DUI arrests.

In the last century and a half, law enforcement in America made about 65,000 impaired driving arrests for DUI charges, yet first-time offender clients ask our DUI-DWI lawyers near me, "What is DUI?" The DUI full meaning is only able to be understood by seeing how the DUI abbreviation is defined in each state that uses that acronym.

DWI vs DUI? About 60% of the states use DUI as their abbreviation, and 40% do not. Some states use both acronyms. Other states use OVI, OUI, OWI, DWUI, DUII and other abbreviations.

A DUI definition can vary slightly between states in the USA and from country to country. This is because DWI-DUI laws are not nationally defined, as in all other nations across the globe.

Thus, a statute for a DUI in Georgia will be substantially different from the state laws describing an OUI in Maine, or a DUII in Oregon. The federal government has made punishments for impaired driving more consistent over the past 54 years. One common punishment in all states is the immediate suspension or revocation of the driver's license after a conviction.

Because a DUI conviction can cause great "life disruption," if convicted, the services of a top-rated DUI lawyer are in great demand. Also, be aware that a first lifetime DUI that causes a fatality or serious bodily injury to another person can support a felony charge because it caused that personal injury or death, regardless of which offense this driver is facing.

Although a first, second or third DUI within 10 years only makes you guilty of a misdemeanor, a DUI 3rd offense calls for "high and aggravated" misdemeanor jail time, meaning that for every 30 days of the sentence, 26 days or more must be served.

The Evolution of DUI Laws in the Past 130 Years

The relatively new laws in the USA are barely 120 years old and were not part of English Common Law adopted by most US states in the 1700s and 1800s. So, each state and the District of Columbia penned their own DUI-DWI laws.

In every state, losing the DUI case causes that driver's license to be suspended or revoked, depending on local state laws, including for a first offence DUI. The threat of the loss of license keeps our traffic ticket attorneys busy every day, since driving is a necessity for most Georgians.

But a DUI definition recognized by most Americans is "drunk driving" or "drugged driving." The DUI full form description is "driving under the influence" of a prohibited type of substance, like alcoholic beverages, weed or other drugs. Without question, however, a DUI in GA can be catastrophic to many Georgia licensees.

People in other nations do not utilize the same under the influence meaning or acronyms for citizens arrested for this traffic crime in those nations. In fact, England calls the crime “drink driving,” even though more crimes are criminalized in addition to operating under the influence of alcohol.

Our three DUI attorneys near me are all nationally published co-authors of DUI-related publications. If a vote was taken, each would be one of the 10 best criminal lawyers Atlanta GA. Try to locate any other local law firm with this impressive number of lawyer ratings and DUI law credentials for handling DUI defense.

The authors of this article have expanded the “book” definition of DUI or DWI to this:

The most precise “DUI meaning” covers the criminal act of a person operating, driving, or being “in actual physical control” of a vehicle while that person is controlling the vehicle, and is affected by either alcohol, drugs, or some other substance. While not universal, most states define DUI for MOTOR vehicles, but others broadly proscribe a person being on ANY vehicle, including a bicycle, wheelchair, horse, or scooter. Georgia laws only prohibit impaired operation of a motor vehicle.

Unique in the WORLD for not having a national impaired driving standard, each state’s legislative body has passed and revised its drinking and driving and drugged driving laws dozens of times. Today, no singular DUI acronym or DUI meaning exists, with more than a dozen acronyms being utilized in America.

While every state’s law enforcement officers try to obtain field sobriety tests at the roadside, no states have laws requiring a suspected drunk driver to participate. In fact, these physical tests have been criticized in many appellate decisions as lacking a scientific foundation or basis.

Do Not Hire an Amateur to Try to Win a Case That a DUI Expert Needs to Handle

An expert on GA DUI laws, Atlanta DUI lawyer Bubba Head (after graduating from UGA with honors as a history major) began writing books on challenging driving impaired cases in 1991. The highly-acclaimed initial book, 101 Ways to Avoid a Drunk Driving Conviction, made Atlanta DUI attorney William Head and his co-author from North Charleston, South Carolina, the late Reese Joye, famous among DUI defense attorneys nationwide.

Mr. Head, a 48-year criminal defense lawyer, has successfully defended thousands of license suspension cases, controlled substance (drug) charges, as well as many non-DUI traffic citations. The Atlanta criminal attorney has had the same excellent results when being hired to be defending a DUI drug offense.

Call today for 24-hour service: (404) 567-5515, and tell our criminal attorneys near me HOW and WHEN we can meet or talk in detail via Facetime, Zoom or other phone conferencing method. You will be glad you let our lawyers nearby critique your case facts.

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This analysis is designed to assist you in understanding the charges brought against you. It is important to know your rights in relation to these charges and the impact that traffic law violations can have on your driving privileges.

New laws are enacted periodically, and state agencies (like GA DDS) make rules changes for those with one offense or multiple DUIs that can affect your right to reinstate a license with little or no notice to the public. You are well advised to consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation, because no amount of online information can synthesize and process what an experienced legal professional can do.

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Updated for 2023 & 2024. Copyright 2024, William C. Head, Atlanta GA. All rights reserved.