What is the Difference Between DUI & DWI
There are certain states that will convict a person arrested on a drunk driving charge of either a DUI or a DWI depending primarily on a person’s blood alcohol level at the time of the arrest.
Both Virginia and New Jersey are examples of two states that use both charges. In Minnesota a person arrested for drunk driving will only be charged with a DWI offense because Minnesota does not use the term DUI.
Of the two charges, DUI is the lesser charge. In Virginia for example, if a person’s blood alcohol level is above the .08% legal limit at the time of the arrest, that person may be charged with a DWI offense. In the same scenario, if the person’s blood alcohol level was .07% or lower, they will be charged with a DUI offense, the lesser charge.
In states that acknowledge both charges, a person charged with a DWI offense in one of these states, may have the charge reduced to a DUI charge with the help of an experienced DUI lawyer on their side.
A person, who has been arrested on a DWI charge and attempts to represent themselves in court, has no chance of the DWI charge being reduced to the lesser DUI charge. There is a reason why DUI lawyers get paid what they do, they know the drunk driving laws in the state which they reside and they know what it takes to win drunk driving cases.