Texas DWI Penalties

D.W.I: Driving while intoxicated. The following information is for Texas only. Information is based on October 2007 data retrieval.

First Time Offense:

You may face a driver’s license suspension for 365 days. In addition you may be fined up to $2,000 and you may spend up to 180 days in jail.

Second Time Offense:

Driver’s license suspension up to 2 years. Fines can be as high as $4,000 and up to 1 year jail time.

Third Time Offense:

Driver’s license suspension up to 2 years. Maxmimum fines up to $10,000 and up to 10 years in jail.

DWI vs. DUI Texas Style

Each state and territory may have there own distinctions between these two common acronyms. DWI: Driving While Intoxicated is given to anyone who has been caught driving while intoxicated by alcohol or other inebriating chemicals. DUI: Driving Under the Influence is given to a person under the legal drinking age that has any trace of alcohol in their body.