A criminal defense attorney is the one to call after being arrested with a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Driving drunk is a crime and one that can turn your life upside down. Read on to learn more.
A criminal defense attorney is the one to call after being arrested with a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Driving drunk is a crime and one that can turn your life upside down. Other cases this variety of lawyer handles includes burglary,
damage to property, sex crimes, white collar offenses, drug trafficking, assault and murder. Operating a vehicle after imbibing in booze may not seem as dastardly, but think about it. People can get hurt or even killed due to this action. Property damage can certainly occur to other cars on the road and structures along the route. If a person thinks it’s no big deal to have a few drinks then drive themselves home, think again. Here are some things to know:
- How much is too much? It depends on the individual. After just one alcoholic beverage, some individuals are already impaired. A person’s body weight and metabolism figures into the equation. Some lightweight drinkers are completely bombed after only two glasses of wine.
- There are different classifications of impairment. These are measured in levels such as beginning to show signs of impairment, then mid-level changes which begin to affect driving skills, then totally intoxicated at the highest level.
- Early stages may bring on a sense of good mood, humor and euphoria. It feels so favorable that may imbibers decide to have another and another. Wrong choice!
- After continued drinks, judgment begins to become faulty, memory fails and physical coordination slips. A person’s reaction times slow, both mentally and physically.
- Further drinks can make an individual pass out or develop alcohol poisoning. This can sometimes be fatal.
- Don’t let friends and family drive if they’ve been drinking. Hide the keys, drive them home yourself, call a taxi-cab or anything else you can think of. Do not let them get behind the wheel!
- Holidays especially bring out the police looking for drunks on the road. Checkpoints are often set up to stop motorists in question. This is to protect every citizen on the freeways and streets, including the drunks.
- Once stopped, officers will look at drivers, smell them, listen to their speech and watch their reactions. Swerving vehicles are a definite reason for the cops to pull someone over.
- Sobriety tests will be administered to size up coordination loss. Counting backwards, touching fingers to nose, walking on a straight line are all standard tests.
- Chemical tests are the next step. These will give exact numbers of the alcohol blood levels. A motorist can refuse to undergo these tests but they will then be taken directly to the station.
- It’s every citizen’s right to call a lawyer. It is imperative to get a legal expert on your side as soon as possible.
- A DUI charge can result in lost driving privileges and a revoked license. It can even mean jail time.
If this happens to you or one of your loved ones, don’t panic. Call an experienced criminal defense attorney who specializes in DUIs and you’ll be glad you did. Remember, never drink and drive but if it inadvertently happened, get an expert on your side.
