Driving Under the Influence – An International Perspective from Fort Lauderdale DUI Lawyer Direnzo Defense

North American countries tend to designate people as too impaired to operate a motor vehicle at a higher blood alcohol concentration when compared to other parts of the world. Although it is always illegal to drive while impaired in Florida, regardless of your BAC, the impairment is presumed when your BAC reaches 0.08 percent. At that point, a prosecutor will only have to prove that was your reading on a properly functioning, correctly administered breath alcohol measuring device (the Intoxilyzer, known as a breathalyzer) or based on a sample of your blood.

Broward DUI Lawyer William Moore notes that a BAC of 0.08 percent or higher is the level at which impairment is presumed under Florida DUI laws and all U.S. states. Canadian law maintains a fairly similar DUI system, with a 0.08 percent as the “legal limit” and a mandatory period of at least 30 days in jail for the second conviction. Likewise, 0.08 percent is the legal limit in Mexico and most of Central America, including Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Belize. At 0.05 percent and 0.075 percent respectively, El Salvador and Costa Rica have stricter DUI laws.

Like many aspects of government and legislation, laws against driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs are heavily regional, reflecting the way of life and values of people in different areas in the world. South American countries have a number of lower, although more variable, limits for BAC while driving. They range from 0.01 percent in Guyana and up to 0.02 percent in Brazil to 0.08 percent in Uruguay, Suriname, and Paraguay.

European nations have traditionally taken a harder line on drunk driving, according to Fort Lauderdale DUI attorney William Moore, who thinks that most Europeans would be surprised by the relative lenience of a 0.08 BAC for driving. A number of Central and Eastern European countries have enacted zero-tolerance DUI laws, where there is no acceptable limit of alcohol in one’s bloodstream when driving, although some apply only to new drivers (i.e., people who have had a driver’s license for less than two years). The United Kingdom and Ireland are outliers at 0.08 percent, while Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands have limits of 0.05 percent, the most common level in Western Europe.

Below, a short lesson on French wine – but be careful not to drive after indulging in too much:

Fort Lauderdale DUI attorney William Moore provides outstanding DUI defense in Broward, Fort Lauderdale, and Fort Lauderdale-Dade Counties. If you have been charged with a DUI, contact Fort Lauderdale DUI Lawyer William Moore, P.A.

This article should be used for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice nor as implied representation of any person.

Article contributed by Mallory Shipman, Esq.