Texas DWI LAWS

How Much is Too Much?

DWI means Driving While Intoxicated. A person in Texas commits DWI if he is driving intoxicated with a .08 BAC (breath or blood alcohol content or concentration) or if he experiences impairment due to alcohol or drugs. It is a crime according to Texas DWI LAWS punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, community service and a jail confinement of not less than 72 hours but not more than six months for first time offenders, which is a Class B Misdemeanor; a fine of up to $4,000, confinement of up to one year, community service of up to 200 hours, use of deep lung air device and a license suspension of 180 days to not more than 2 years are the penalties for second time offenders which is a Class A Misdemeanor; and lastly, a fine of up to $ 10,000, confinement of not less than two years but not more than 10 years, use of deep lung air device, community service of up to 600 hours and a required rehabilitative treatment are the penalties for offenders with three or more convictions.

Chapter 49 of the Penal Code of Texas provides that a person is intoxicated if he does not have his normal use of his mental and physical faculties due to alcohol, a drug, dangerous or not, or a combination of two or more substances in the body. He is likewise intoxicated if he has a .08 or more BAC. The law also indicates that BAC is the number of grams of alcohol per: (1) 210 liters of breath; (2) 100 milliliters of blood and; (3) 67 milliliters of urine.

However, how does one know if he already has too much to drink? This could vary depending on gender, age, body weight or size. There is also no precise measurement, only estimates, to help a person measure his alcohol intoxication. First option would be, not to drink and drive. If there is really the compulsion to drink, the following information may help. Actually, the first drink alone may already cause impairment. The tolerance for the number of bottles taken may be affected by the amount of food eaten. The more food taken, the less drunk one gets. Younger people and women generally are faster to get intoxicated. One general rule in drinking is that a person may drink a 12 ounce beer, 4 ounce wine (one glass) and 1.5 ounce whiskey (one shot) per hour to keep him on a safe level.