In the United States, every state has implemented strict Driving Under the Influence (DUI) laws to prevent people from drinking and driving. Although the laws are defined by each state, it can still be said that the states, for the most part, follow similar guidelines and rules concerning drunk driving.
A person will be arrested for a DUI offense when he is caught driving a vehicle with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08% or more. BAC can be determined through chemical testing of blood, breath or urine. Besides the blood alcohol test, other methods used by law enforcement officers to determine whether a driver has had too much to drink to be driving is the field sobriety test and the simple observation test. In a field sobriety test, the officer will instruct the suspected offender to do several exercises (for example: walk a straight line or recite the alphabet) which will help determine if the individual is impaired or inebriated. The simple observation test is simply studying the demeanor of the driver and determining if he is intoxicated based on his general behavior.
The penalties for DUI offenders depend on the DUI laws of the state, age of offenders and other factors. A person who is caught drunk driving may have to face jail time, fines, loss of driving privileges, the possible installation of an ignition interlock device, alcohol education or treatment, vehicle impoundment and restricted interstate or international travel.