Driving Under the Influence (DUI)

To be guilty of DUI (driving under the influence) in California, a person must be driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol or have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08% or higher at the time they were driving. Given the number of people killed by drunk drivers on California roads every year, the state punishes repeat DUI offenders harshly. Each successive drunk driving conviction within a 10-year period increases the amount of time a convicted defendant must stay in prison or jail and / or attend a court-approved DUI school.