What is the difference between a DWI and a DUI? 76 Answers as of February 22, 2012

No.

There is no difference in Nevada.

A DWI is a misdemeanor offense and a criminal conviction that you can get a year or less in jail for. An Impaired is 1192-1 which is a traffic violation with a maximum jail sentence of 15 days. It is not a criminal conviction. DUI is what some states call our DWI...Driving Under the Influence. It is also a misdemeanor.

There is no difference. The older term was Drving While Intoxicated and the newer term, particularly after the use of drugs became popular was Driving Under the Influence.

It is generally the same thing. Some states call it DUI, others call it DWI. The laws do vary from state to state, but it basically means driving while intoxicated.

Nothing. The actual charge is operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (OMVWI).

There is no difference. Over time the terms to describe drunk driving have changed. The current term is OWI, operating while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

No difference, different states call the same offense different things (driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence.)

They are the same.

They are different designations for the same offense. There is no difference.

DWI IS DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED AND DUI IS DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE Both DUI and DWI refer to operating a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol or illegal drugs. The biggest difference between DUI and DWI is the letters and what they stand for. The laws regarding how a DUI or DWI is prosecuted. differ from state to state, in some states the drunk driving laws are different for DUI and DWI. In some states, the DUI is a lesser charge and also indicates a lower degree of intoxication than the DWI. Your blood alchol level determine your level of intoxication if you have been charged with a DWI or DUI call a lawyer.

Many states use "DUI" in the way that Texas uses "DWI". In Texas, DWI refers to driving while intoxicated which means driving while you do not have the normal use of your mental and / or physical faculties due to the introduction of alcohol, drugs, or a combination into your system. It includes prescription and nonprescription drugs. The legal limit is .08. Texas DUI refers to a person under 21 driving - not intoxicated (.08 or without the normal use) but having consumed ANY alcohol. Texas is ZERO tolerance for people under 21 driving after consuming alcohol. (This does not refer to drugs.) Note - a person under 21 can be intoxicated and charged with DWI but a person over 21 can only be charged with DWI.

Nothing.

Technically driving while under the influence of alcohol means that, according to state definition, your ability to drive is impaired by reason of the alcohol in your system. Driving while intoxicated, generally is when the legislature has set a blood or breath alcohol level which is considered to be intoxicated, such a .08, and if your blood, or breath, contains that amount, or more, then you are legally intoxicated. You should consult and hire an attorney if you are charged with either.

There is no difference legally between a DUI, DWI and an OUI, which is the correct acronym here in Massachusetts. They are simply acronyms for the terms Driving Under the Influence (DUI), Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) and Operating Under the Influence (OUI). It just depends who is saying it and where they heard it. Different states have different terms in their drunk driving statutes. One state's statute may have Driving While Intoxicated, where another state may call their drunk driving law Driving Under the Influence. Here in Massachusetts the statute actually reads Operating While Under the Influence of Alcohol. It is appropriately shortened in Massachusetts to OUI, although most people refer to it as DUI. Once charged for drunk driving in one state, it doesn't matter what you call it; OUI, DWI, DUI it is still the same statute and you should get yourself a lawyer ASAP!

Not in Connecticut.

There is no difference between a DWI and a DUI. Its just a matter of terminology.

New York uses the term "DWI". The term "DUI" is commonly used to mean the same thing in many other states. New York also has "DWAI" (driving while ability impaired), which is a lesser offense.

In Florida the term DUI means Driving Under the Influence to the extent that your normal faculties are impaired. DWI is an abbreviation for Driving While Intoxicated. DUI is a better description of what the State has to prove if your arrested for Driving Under the Influence because they the State does not have to prove the driver was "intoxicated" only that the driver was under the influence to the extent that his normal faculties were impaired.

There really isn't any difference between a DUI and DWI. A DWI is driving while intoxicated. A DUI is driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In other words, a DUI is more inclusive since it includes drugs and alcohol.

Colorado has a dwai which is a lesser offense of DUI. DWI is a different name for DUI, as is OUI.

The terms are synonymous. There is no difference.

There is no difference between DWI and DUI. They are anagrams of "Driving While Intoxicated" DWI, and "Driving Under the Influence" DUI. Both involve the operation of a motor vehicle while impaired by something. It could be Nyquil, if it impairs your driving it will fall under a DWI or DUI. Hope this helps.

DWI is the old name/version of what is now called DUI in Washington. The difference between the two offenses is irrelevant given DWI no longer exsits in this state.

A DUI and a DWI are the same. Done states have it written in the vehicle code as a DWI whereas others call it a DUI.

They are the same.

They are different initials for the exact same crime. driving under the influence, vs. driving while intoxicated

No. They stand for Driving Under the Influence (of Intoxicants) or Driving While Intoxicated. In Oregon, the official crime title is Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, and it varies from state to state, but they are not precise terms with distinct meanings.

Driving While Intoxicated vs. Driving Under the Influence. In other words, no difference.

No difference.

There is no difference. They are the same.

Nebraska law makes does not contain the DWI (driving while ability impair) language any longer, but some of the statutes still refer to driving while under the influence. The current alcohol related charge is DUI (Driving under the influence).

No there is not

It's just a different lingo. In California, Driving Under the Influence (DUI) is covered in Vehicle Code sections 23152(a) and (b). Some people refer to it as a DWI - Driving while Intoxicated. Other states call them different things as well.

They are the same. Driving while intoxicated (DWI) and driving under the influence (DUI). Different jurisdictions use different names for thew same offense.

Generally, different states have different labels for similar crimes. Either way, good luck!

No difference. In fact, Michigan does not use these terms. We have OWI.

No not really. Driving Under the InfluenceDriving While Intoxicated

The letter "W" and the letter "U". From a legal standpoint they and "OUI" are all the same. Driving while intoxicated, driving under the influence, operating under the influence.

No difference

There is no difference.

It really depends on the jurisdiction that you are in.

A DUI is driving under the influence and can be both alcohol and/or drugs. DWI is driving whale intoxicated which can interpreted to be only alcohol. DUI just makes it easier to understand.

nothing. Driving While Intoxicated is the incorrect description of Oregon's Driving Under the Influence

It is simply a matter of how the offense is described driving under the influence of alcohol or driving while under the influence of alcohol. In New Jersey it is the same offense, a violation of N.J.S.A. 39:4-50.

No difference. Same thing.

In Colorado there are two levels of drunk driving - Driving While Ability Impaired (DWAI) and Driving Under the Influence (DUI). The definition of DUI is driving at a time when you are incapable of safely driving due to alcohol consumption. If a blood or breath test is performed and the amount is over .08 the jury can infer that one was DUI. DWAI is defined as driving when your ability to do so was affected to the slightest degree by the consumption of alcohol. A jury can infer one is DWAI if their alcohol level is between .05 and .079.

Technically there is no difference between DWI (driving while impaired/intoxicated) or DUI (driving under the influence). The use of either depends on the State's preference but ultimately the meaning is the same.

There is no difference between the 2. They mean the same thing.

The only difference is the name some states call is driving under the influence and others driving while impaired.

No. The prior version of the law was commonly referred to as DWI or Driving While Intoxicated. It is now known as DUI for Driving Under The Influence, a more accurate term since the crime doesn't require intoxication. In some states it is still DWI or DUI.

One is called driving while intoxicated and the other is driving under the influence. They are essentially one in the same as many DWI contains, in the statutory language, prohibitions against driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or controlled substances.

Nothing. Just like some people still refer to it as a 502 but that code section was changed at least twice since those days.

A DUI is driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, a DWI is driving while intoxicated. In California, we refer to CVC23152 as DUIs. Sometimes they are referred to as DWIs in other states.

There is no difference. DWI is driving while intoxicated. DUI is driving under the influence.

There is nothing different between a DWI and a DUI other than the terminology. One is Driving While Intoxicated and the other is Driving Under the Influence.

There is no difference. They are different ways of denoting the same thing.

No. Most people seem to say DUI but NY law calls it Driving While Intoxicated.

In Colorado, it's called a DUI (driving under the influence). In other states, it may be referred to as DWI (driving while intoxicated). The difference mainly will be in the percentage of ETOH (ethanol, more commonly understood to the layperson as alcohol) that can be measured before a person is presumed to be intoxicated.

No, just different terminology. In fact most states actually refer to it as as OWI or OMWI. In Nebraska the laws cover anyone who is operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

There is no difference between a DWI and a DUI. They mean the same thing. Driving while intoxicated or Driving Under the Influence.

In Washington there is no such crime as DWI. In many states, and in most instances, DWI and DUI are interchangeable. They essentially mean the same thing. But as I said, in Washington, DWI doesn't exist. Only DUI.

None. They are the same crime called two different informal names. If you got one, and if youre interested in hiring counsel to help you, feel free to contact me.

Driving While Intoxicated vs Driving Under the Influence. They are state crimes, and different states just call them different things.