OVI is the abbreviation for Operating a vehicle impaired. Ohio’s General Assembly amended our drunk driving / DUI statute to broaden the offense from driving under the influence to operating a vehicle impaired. The big difference is that operation does not require that the vehicle actually be moving. As a matter of fact, the vehicle doesn’t even have to be running so long as you are in the driver’s seat and the keys are within reach.

Different people use different terms: O.V.I., D.U.I., O.M.V.I., and D.W.I., but in Ohio they all mean the same thing (Operating a Vehicle under the Influence of drugs or alcohol), and the correct term is O.V.I.

If you are convicted of O.V.I., the possible penalties include jail time, a fine, a driver's license suspension, seizure/immobilization/forfeiture of your vehicle and impoundment of your plates, as well as six points on your driver's license. You will also be required to pay a license reinstatement fee and maintain proof of insurance with the Bureau Of Motor Vehicles, which will likely result in obtaining high-risk insurance.

It depends on whether this is your first, second, or third offense (or more) within a six-year period. If it is your first offense, you will lose your license for a minimum of 180 days, and you will have to spend at least three days in jail or in a 72-hour Driver Intervention Program (DIP). Some first offenders are required to go to jail in addition to the intervention program. Also, you can be fined up to $1000. There may be other penalties as well.

The acronyms DUI, DWI, OMVI and OVI all refer to the same thing: operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The most commonly used terms are DUI, an acronym for Driving Under the Influence, and DWI, an acronym for Driving While Impaired. However, Ohio law no longer uses the DUI and DWI acronyms because, in 1982, Ohio enacted a law that refers to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs as "OMVI," an acronym for Operating a Motor Vehicle Impaired.

If you are over 21 years of age and your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) and breath alcohol content (BrAC) is .08 or greater, you are considered to be "operating a vehicle impaired." The .08 figure refers to the concentration of alcohol in your breath or in your blood. The fact that the legal limit for breath and whole blood are the same is not a coincidence. The breath machine equates the amount of alcohol in your breath to the probable amount of alcohol in your blood.

Many people think they actually passed the field sobriety tests before they were arrested! The problem is, most people who are taking the field sobriety tests are inexperienced in taking the tests and accordingly, have no idea what the officer is looking for. If the officer checks your eyes, simply being able to follow the pen (or their finger) doesn’t mean you passed the test.

Absolutely! However, not every attorney that is listed in the phone book under the DUI / OVI listing is competent to fight these cases. As a matter of fact, many of the attorneys that list DUI / OVI cases in their Yellow Pages advertisement have never done a DUI / OVI / Drunk Driving trial.

Absolutely! The law presumes that, if you operate a vehicle and are found to be at or over the "legal limit," you are guilty of OVI. However, Ohio law allows you to argue against this presumption of guilt, within limits, in court. If it is proven that the alcohol level in your system is at or over the legal limit, you can be convicted of OVI even if you show no other signs of being under the influence.

signs of impairment exhibited by a person while driving a vehicle (called the "vehicle in motion" phase of enforcement); signs of impairment noticeable during the "pre-arrest screening" phase, which encompasses standardized field sobriety testing and preliminary breath testing.

Yes; it is true that the codes of some Ohio municipalities are stricter than the State Code. When that is the case, the municipality's code takes precedence over the state's code. For example, the Columbus City Code has what is called a "lifetime lookback" period. This means that, in Columbus, any prior OVI, no matter how many years ago it was, will be considered when deciding penalties.

There is an overwhelming opinion amongst the general public (or maybe just the drinking public) that a first offense Ohio OVI / DUI should be reduced to a reckless operation charge. Can this really happen? Well, it depends in large part on a number of things, including, but not limited to: These are but a few of the many considerations that will be considered when the prosecutor and your OVI attorney / DUI attorney sit down to discuss the possible out come at a pre-trial conference.