In our digital age, video evidence is being used in DUI prosecutions across the United States. We’ve probably all seen videos of drivers in various states of intoxication in regretfully comical attempts to perform field sobriety tests. What can come to issue is that footage of a police officer’s dash cam or body cam can […]
Category: DUI / DWI Law Center
A DUI Stop: The Do’s and Don’ts
It’s all unfolding in front of you right now: You’re over the age of 21, and you’ve had a few drinks. It’s 1 a.m., and you’re within a minute of getting home when you’re lit up by a squad car that you never saw. What do you do now? Sure, you’re going to pull over, […]
Do I Really Have to Take Those Sobriety Tests?
Anybody who is over the age of 21 and has a driver’s license knows that there can be severe repercussions if they’re found to be operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of over .08 percent. They can be subject to high fines, mandatory alcohol and substance abuse classes, loss of their driver’s […]
Can I Get Out of a DUI Without a Lawyer?
Other than the standard allegations of the defendant having “bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and unsteady balance,” the facts of every DUI case are different. Whether you can get out of a DUI turns on many other factors. In just about all cases, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be able to beat a DUI without an […]
DUI/DWI Field Sobriety Tests: Whether to Say Yes or No.
Do You Really Want to Take Field Sobriety Tests? When a police officer makes a traffic stop, one of the first things that he or she will do is make a quick assessment on whether the driver who is being detained might be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. That assessment usually consists of […]
How Long After Drinking Does It Take for Blood Alcohol Levels to Drop?
If you’ve had a few glasses of wine at a party, you may be concerned about stepping behind the wheel of a car – and for good reason. Even low levels of alcohol can reduce the ability to react appropriately to another car or pedestrian. The consequences of “drunk” driving can be traumatic and long […]
WHY “DO NOT BLOW” IS OUTDATED ADVICE FOR A DUI STOP
For years, one of the top pieces of conventional wisdom flowing out of criminal defense offices has been the idea that people suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol should refuse to take a breathalyzer test. The logic behind this advice seems sound on its face, but it’s no longer relevant with the approaches […]
Tests Used To Measure Blood Alcohol
In most states when you operate a motor vehicle on the highways of that state or accept a driver’s license in that state, you impliedly consent to a test of your blood, breath or urine for the presence of alcohol or drugs. Although the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits the taking of samples […]
Getting Stopped For Drunk Driving
For a police officer to stop the operator of a motor vehicle, the officer must have “reasonable and articulable” suspicion that a violation occurred. That means the suspicion must be objectively reasonable and that it must be able to be articulated, or explained. After the stop, the officer’s level of suspicion must rise to “probable […]
Drunk Driving: Overview
If you have been arrested for an alcohol-related offense, you are not alone. In 1990, 1.8 million people were arrested and charged with operating a motor vehicle after consumption of an alcoholic beverage. The crime is referred to as DWI (driving while intoxicated), DUI (driving under the influence), OUI (operating under the influence) and simply […]