Understanding the Criminal Justice System
DWI, DUI, OWI, or plain old drunk driving—it doesn’t matter what you call it, operating a car, commercial truck, or motorcycle under the influence of any intoxicating substance is a serious offense. You might not think it can get any more serious, but it can. Being stopped and charged with an extremely high-speed DUI is an error of another magnitude. Let’s find out more.
OWI (or “Operating while intoxicated”) in Indiana refers to several different things. It’s not just “driving under the influence” but can also refer to driving while on different drugs. If you’re interested in the nuts and bolts of this law, check it out here.
For our purposes, suffice it to say that OWI usually refers to driving with a blood alcohol concentration (or BAC) of .08% or higher, or while you have any amount of certain drugs in your system.
You might be surprised to learn that a first-offense OWI is only a misdemeanor. But plenty of aggravating factors can up your offense to a felony—making your crime, and potentially your punishment, much worse.
A “simple” misdemeanor OWI is bad enough. But here are some factors that can complicate matters:
What does that last aggravating factor mean? How is “excessive” defined?
Driving extremely fast, of course, is dangerous in and of itself. Adding alcohol to the mix is like adding fuel to the proverbial fire. In 2019 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), there were 210 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in Indiana. We don’t have to tell you that that’s 210 too many.
Generally, an extremely high-speed OWI is 30 mph over the stated speed limit. However, a lot depends on the exact circumstances of the OWI incident and what arresting officers observed. There are times when even going just a few miles per hour over the limit, if you are very intoxicated or have other aggravating factors making matters worse, can result in more serious charges and more stringent punishment if convicted.
If you’ve been stopped for an extremely high-speed OWI, you can be grateful that it wasn’t worse. However, you can also ensure you get a square deal during your day in court. Contact Razumich & Associates. We’re here to help with your OWI, no matter what speed. Call us at 317-983-5333.
