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California DUI Vehicle Code
VC 23152
Alcohol & or Drugs
The Vehicle Code book (available at any DMV officer for 3.00) codified in 1935 states the following under its Drinking and Alcohol section.
This section (232152) is the misdemeanor violation.
The difference between a misdemeanor and a felony is: misdemeanor driving under the influence charges means that the charge involved no injury or property damage and the penalty is up to 6 months in jail whereas a felony has injury and the penalty could be as much as up to one year in a state prison.
VC 23152: Alcohol and or drugs:
(a). It is unlawful for any person who is under the influence of an intoxicating beverage,
or under the combined influence of an alcoholic beverage or drug to drive a
vehicle.
Definition:
The problem immediately is what does "under the influence" mean?
The most common understanding of the term is when the person starts to
stumble and fall, lose coordination, have slower reaction times, lose the
ability to process information, experience visual impairments or go through
personality changes.1
Standard Dictionary Definition.
Webster defines intoxicated as being 'elated', hardly a legal definition.
A legal definition, from 1970 states under the
influence as:
person is under the influence of intoxicating liquor when as a result of drinking such liquor his physical and mental abilities are impaired so that he no longer has the ability to drive a vehicle with the caution characteristic of a sober person of ordinary prudence under the same or similar circumstances.
The second part of the vehicle code
DUI law continues to state in addition to
the above "under the influence" paragraph, a driver is also under the influence
when:
Paragraph (b) of VC23152 states:
(b) It is unlawful for any person who has a .08 percent or more by weight to
drive a vehicle.
This more exacting definition of what under the influence is was put in the vehicle code in 1982 and is considered "per se". When you are arrested for DUI and you must submit to a chemical test, the results of that test can be used as evidence in court.this is called presumptive or prima facie evidence. Technically, prima facie means "at first view." Legally, it means "adequate to establish the fact unless refuted" (proved wrong).
Illegal "per se" law means that no evidence other than the results of a
properly obtained chemical test are required to convict the defendant. In other
words, if your chemical test results are a .08 (and all else was legal i.e.
stop, arrests etc.) your
considered under the influence according to California law.
Legal presumptions about levels of alcohol in the blood are stated in
presumptions about
under the influence are stated in another law VC 23155.
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