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 […]
Category Archives: The Bateman Law Blog
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 […]
Dram shop laws are statutes that allow injured plaintiffs to not only sue a drunk driver who causes an injury, but that also allow the injured plaintiff to sue the store or bar that sold the drunk driver the alcohol that the driver consumed before causing the crash. The purpose of these laws is to […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
On June 10, 2015, a Greer resident was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) in connection with a deadly wreck three miles north of Greer. The accident occurred on June 8 at approximately 11 PM on State 101 near North Rutherford Road. The crash was so severe that the road was closed for several […]
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 […]
A woman in Williamson County, Tennessee (near Nashville) was recently arrested for her sixth DUI offense for driving under the influence of an intoxicant. This time it was an inhalant–likely nitrous oxide. Those interested in obtaining a euphoric effect inhale this chemical, commonly known as laughing gas. It is a colorless, non–flammable gas commonly used […]
South Carolina is the worst state in the nation in regards to the percentage of drunken driving deaths, according to a recent study by the National Highway Safety Administration. South Carolina had 767 traffic deaths in 2013; of those fatalities, 335, or 44 percent, were attributable to drunken driving. The national average is currently 31 percent. […]
It seems like there is a smartphone app for everything these days, from silly video games to powerful GPS navigation systems. Now, several state governments are working to build apps that can help people stay safe on the roads and avoid being arrested for DUI title. According to a story from GovTech.com, government agencies, with the […]
Technology is all around us and we are all constantly on our cell phones, iPad, tablets, and other devices where we keep some of our most personal information. Most people do not delete our sensitive information and if we do, can’t the police get it anyway? Now each case is different and depending on the […]