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What to Do When Facing OVI Charges

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What used to be known as DUI charges in the state of Ohio is now referred to as an OVI, or operating a vehicle impaired. What many people do not know about OVI/DUI charges is that the law is not limited to individuals driving a traditional vehicle, like a car or truck. An officer can charge you with drunk driving if you are driving a golf cart, ATV, lawnmower or even riding a bicycle. If you think you can avoid an OVI/DUI arrest by sleeping it off in the car before heading home, you would be wrong. An officer can pursue OVI/DUI charges against any individual who is “in control” of the vehicle. Under Ohio law, if you are in the driver’s seat and have the keys in your position, you are in control of that vehicle and can face an OVI/ DUI arrest.     Be polite, but don’t incriminate yourself Whether you were pulled over for speeding or weaving out of your lane, a police officer is trained to identify evidence of intoxication from the moment they approach your vehicle. After fi
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Ohio OVI Charges

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WHAT IS AN OVI? 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. Example: the vehicle is pulled off to the side of the roadway with the driver in the driver’s seat asleep (passed out) and the keys in the driver’s hand. If the police officer can’t prove that you actually drove the vehicle while impaired, you can be charged with Physical Control ( Ohio Revised Code Section 4511.194 ), however, so long as it can be reasonably inferred (either through direct or circumstantial evidence) that you drove while impaired, you can be charged with OVI. WHAT DOES “PHYSICAL CONTROL” MEAN? What does
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