Austin DWI Lawyer - Ian Inglis

A Short History of DUI Law

It took time for the law to catch up with the rapid growth of automobiles’ popularity in the early twentieth century. Although the first law against operating a vehicle while intoxicated was passed in the mid-nineteenth century, it only applied to railroad conductors. Drivers of private cars were much less carefully regulated for years.

In 1910, New York became the first US state to pass a law against driving while intoxicated. A few other states followed suit, but not all. These laws were not very effective, however, as they only banned intoxicated driving without further clarification. Determining whether a driver was intoxicated was left to the discretion of the arresting officer and, later, a judge.

The First BAC Limit

When Prohibition was repealed in the 1930’s, governments and law enforcement officials had a new inspiration to fine tune the laws on impaired driving. In 1938, studies conducted by the American Medical Association and the National Safety Council determined that a person needed a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .15 before he could be considered inebriated. Most jurisdictions with laws against drunk driving accepted .15 as their legal limit.

MADD and the Tightening Regulations on Drunk Driving

In the 1970’s the activist group Mothers Against Drunk Driving formed in response to alarmingly high levels of alcohol-related car accidents. At that time impaired driving was a factor in around 60% of all serious car accidents. MADD began complaining for new legal regulations such as a lowered BAC limit and a higher drinking age.

Over the years MADD has enjoyed many victories. The legal BAC for driving has been lowered to .08 in every state, and the federal drinking age is now 21 (it was 18 from 1974 – 1985). Law enforcement agents are also much more diligent about arresting and punishing drunk drivers than ever before.

Contact an Austin DWI Defense Lawyer

If you are facing charges of DUI or DWI, contact Austin DWI Attorney Ian Inglis at 800.589.1808.