My cousin was arrested for a DUI in Ohio a few days ago but we live in Washington. How will this affect his drivers license in WA?

Daniel

Vancouver, WA

Both Washington State and Ohio are members of the Drivers License Compact (DLC) so if you are convicted of the driving under the influence you received in Ohio then their courts will notify the Washington Department of Licensing (DOL) about this driving under the influence conviction.

The report back to the driver’s home state will clearly describe the infraction, specifying the section of the statute, ordinance or code violated; indicate whether a plea of guilty or not guilty was entered ; identify what action was taken; or the conviction was a result of the forfeiture of a security.

The Washington DOL site states that, they keep a record of moving infractions, convictions for automobile violations and notices for failure to respond or appear to traffic citation on every motorist in the state. This information that goes on your driving history is received by clerk of the courts and licensing agencies so it would seem that the out of state information reported to the DOL would also be put on your driving record in Vancouver, Washington.

The state of WA would take actions against you just as if you received the driving under the influence charge in state instead of out of state. In WA your license may be suspended from ninety days up to four years, based on prior violations and your blood alcohol level for DUI offenses. The Washington DOL could inform your friend more about what could happen if he is convicted of the Ohio driving under the influence.

I got charged with DUI in Washington and it seems impossible for me to get out of this. Would it still be possible for me to win my case or shall I just give it up?

Mae

Bellevue, WA

Nothing would be impossible and anything could still happen if you try to fight your DUI case in Washington. All you need is a DUI lawyer who has an extensive track record of fighting and winning DUI cases. Through an experienced DUI lawyer, it’s not only possible to get DUI charges reduced to a lesser offense, but in some cases, a good DUI lawyer can be able to get them dismissed entirely. The DUI lawyer can also be able to put up DUI defenses applicable in your case. The line of DUI defense includes arguing constitutional violations and challenging blood alcohol content test results.

A DUI specialist would systematically review police reports for any lapses and inconsistencies in procedure. The DUI lawyer could also request complete disclosure concerning the machine used to test your blood alcohol level, the lab certification and the personnel involved in the maintenance and operation of the machine. With all these DUI defenses and more, you don’t have to think that it would be impossible for you to get out of your DUI charge.

I’ve been keeping myself constantly updated with the latest updates and developments about DUI, especially the defenses because I have once been wrongfully accused of the said offense in Bellingham, Washington but the charge was dismissed. I’ve heard so much about this rising blood alcohol level. What does rising blood alcohol level mean?

Emma

Bellingham, WA

It’s nice to know that your DUI charge in Bellingham, Washington had been dismissed if you were not really driving under the influence. Well, to answer your question, rising blood alcohol level is one the defenses being used in a DUI case. This means that a person suspected of DUI may have different blood alcohol content (BAC) reading that what it really is. For example, a person suspected of DUI can blow a .15 percent at the police station, but have had a .07 percent BAC when he got pulled over. This is because alcohol takes an average of 50 minutes, but can take as long as three hours, to absorb fully into your bloodstream and create the peak blood alcohol level. This is very critical if the DUI traffic stop occurred relatively soon after the person finished drinking.

The BAC was probably still rising when the person blew in the machine which means that even if the BAC was above .08 person when the blood draw or breath test occurred at the police station (or hospital), it may well have been below .08 percent when the person was actually driving. There is no law against having a BAC above .08 percent at a police station; it’s only the BAC level while actually driving that counts for DUI purposes.

Hi. A friend of mine was recently charged with DUI here in Washington. He said that his blood alcohol concentration level was .18 percent which I believe is quite high. Would you know the record for highest blood alcohol concentration?

Kyla

Spokane, WA

A woman who was arrested in Tacoma, Washington on suspicion of DUI reportedly set a record of blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) reading of .50 on a breath test that was taken more than 2 hours after she was taken into custody. This is actually 6 times more than the legal limit and it was surprising that she was able to remain conscious during the said test.

The Washington State Patrol toxicology lab says that a BAC reading of .50 is the highest they have ever seen-definitely a record no one can be proud of. Authorities said that they have only seen a BAC reading that high once before, when a King County motorist was arrested for DUI in 2000.