California DUI Laws
California's drunk driving laws can be found in Vehicle Code section 23152:
- 23152(a) It is unlawful for a person who is under the influence of any alcoholic beverage to drive a vehicle.
- 2315d(b) It is unlawful for a person who has 0.08 percent or more, by weight, of alcohol in his or her blood to drive a vehicle
- 2315d(e) It is unlawful for a person who is under the influence of any drug to drive a vehicle.
- 23152(f) It is unlawful for a person who is under the combined influence of any alcoholic beverage and drug to drive a vehicle.
Note: In most cases, both the 23152(a) and (b) offenses will be charged. Even though there is only one act, the law says that a defendant charged with drinking and driving can be convicted of BOTH offenses — but can only be punished for one (the punishments are identical). Vehicle Code section 23153 sets forth the "felony DUI" provisions where an injury results from the drunk driving, while Penal Code sections 191.5 and 192 describe the crime of "vehicular manslaughter" where there is a death.
Procedurally, you should be aware of certain legal rights you have — rights which are commonly ignored by the police:
- There must be legally sufficient facts to constitute "probable cause" to stop, detain and arrest you.
- You should be advised that submission to field sobriety testing and portable field breath testing is not required by law.
- Once arrested, you must be advised of your constitutional rights — the "Miranda" warning — before any further questioning takes place.
- You must be given a choice of breath or blood testing; if you refuse, you must be advised of the legal consequences (the "implied consent" advisement).
- If a breath test is administered at the police station, since the breath sample is not saved, you must be given a chance to obtain a blood sample for later independent testing by your DUI defense attorney.
For further information, visit the following sites:
California DUI Laws and Procedures
Helpful legal information from an 5-attorney California law firm practicing DUI defense exclusively.
Basic DUI Law
Verbatim presentation of the basic misdemeanor DUI law, California Vehicle Code section 23152.
DUI FAQs
Answers to the 20 questions most frequently asked by those arrested for DUI, from the attorney who wrote the legal textbook "Drunk Driving Defense, 5th edition".
California Vehicle Code
Verbatim collection of sections of the Code which apply to drunk driving criminal and license suspension cases.
Top 10 U.S. Supreme Court DUI Cases
Collection of the most significant decisions from the Court which have effected drunk driving cases; the opinions are presented in their entirety.