Legal Blog

News updates, answers to legal questions and more.

Legal Blog

News updates, answers to legal questions and more.

The Different Effects that Drinking Has On Different People

The long-running police reality television show, Cops, often featured people who claimed to have driven after drinking “two beers.”  Invariably, it was “two beers” no matter how inebriated the person appeared to be.  Assuming some of these people had only two beers, the idea that two beers would not intoxicate some people is a faulty […]

DUI Checkpoints Spiking on Holidays

While the concern over driver and passenger safety is always on the mind of South Carolina local police and state troopers, law enforcement officials often step up their efforts on holidays. Police increase their scrutiny over safe driving, particularly DUIs, during holidays due to the high number of people who are traveling on the roads […]

What is Emma’s Law?

South Carolinians may have heard about a law passed in 2014 called “Emma’s Law.”  But, what is it, and how does it impact drivers and potentially drunk drivers in the state? History of the Law The namesake of South Carolina’s Emma’s Law is Emma Longstreet.  Longstreet, a six-year-old girl, was killed by a drunk driver […]

Look Out for Lookback Periods

South Carolina, along with many other states, observes standard lookback periods (also called “washout” periods) for driving under the influence (DUI) convictions when determining penalties for DUI cases. In South Carolina the lookback period is ten years.  That means if you are tried and convicted for a DUI, the state will review your record for […]

What is DUAC?

DUAC is a charge for “driving with unlawful alcohol concentration”. Unlike a DUI charge, which takes into account both a driver’s blood alcohol content and erratic or unsafe driving, a DUAC charge is based solely on the driver’s blood alcohol content (BAC). A DUAC charge may result if an officer stops a driver for some […]

Where does South Carolina rank for DUI offenders?

Wallethub.com, a financial services website, has attempted to rank states based on how tough and lenient their laws are on DUI offenders. Wallethub cited a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistic that 31 percent of motor vehicle fatalities in 2012 involved alcohol impairment. This number, however, has dropped significantly since 1980 when states began taking […]

Is a DUI a felony in South Carolina?

Driving Under the Influence (DUI) is no doubt a serious offense so some people understandably assume a conviction for DUI or DUAC (Driving with an Unlawful Alcohol Content) means a felony on their record. This is not necessarily the case. When Can Someone be Charged with a Felony DUI in SC? There are various situations […]

What is the DUI Moped “Loophole?”

Most everyone knows that driving a car while impaired illegal and dangerous.  What many people may not know is that in South Carolina there is, effectively, a DUI moped “loophole”.  This allows individuals to drive small mopeds while intoxicated without facing the same charges as someone driving a car, truck, or motorcycle. Mopeds, while similar […]

Out of state DUI?

Out of state DUI

If you are from out of state and receive a South Carolina DUI you may face additional complications pertaining to your driver’s license. Although a South Carolina DUI can only suspend a South Carolina license, all convictions will be reported to your home state. This means that you will face the same penalties against your […]