Can You Really Get a DWI in Michigan for Too Much Caffeine?

When most people think of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) or Driving Under the Influence (DUI) charges, they assume it involves someone consuming alcohol or illegal drugs before they get behind the wheel.

However, under Michigan law, impairment isn’t limited to these substances, which raises an interesting (and concerning) question: Could too much caffeine get you arrested for impaired driving in Michigan? Technically, yes, it can.

Is It Illegal? Answering Frequently Asked Questions About Michigan Laws ⬇️

While it sounds kind of crazy to think you could land behind bars after chugging a monster energy drink, but legal experts have warned that Michigan’s OWI (Operating While Intoxicated) laws leave a little bit of room for this scenario.

According to ArborYpsi Law, Michigan defines impairment in a wide open way, which means that any substance that affects a driver’s ability to operate a vehicle safely (yes, even caffeine) could be considered grounds for an arrest. There’s no set legal limit for caffeine consumption while driving, but the potential for getting into legal trouble isn’t entirely hypothetical.

And while this hasn’t happened in Michigan (that I’m aware of) Back in 2016, a California man was arrested for a suspected DUI, in spite of caffeine being the only substance they were able to find in his system. Obviously, California authorities dropped the charges later on, but the case highlighted how loose impairment laws can be interpreted, and how something TOTALLY legal could land you behind bars.

This fear is being slightly renewed now that a new law in Oregon has made this potential issue even more possible. Under Oregon’s updated DUII (Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants) law, impairment could include anything that alters a driver’s ability, not just alcohol or drugs. So, they specifically could throw the book at you for caffeine if they felt it was a worthy case. But, it would have to be an extreme situation for this to happen, since you'd have to seem to be impared before they'd even assume you were.

While no known cases of caffeine-related DWIs have happened in Michigan, legal experts say it’s technically possible. So, does this mean you should think twice before grabbing that double shot coffee from Biggby on your morning commute? Not necessarily… but it’s sort of worrisome that it could land you behind bars if someone decides they want to push it. Here’s hoping this continues to be a non-issue.