Drunk driving is probably the most common crimes. You may be surprised to learn that you’re breaking the law even if you’re sitting in your car, stopped at a red light, and not moving. Not only is it against the law to get behind the wheel of a car while drunk or high, but other behaviors can put you on the wrong side of the law. This behavior can range from a misdemeanor, such as driving with an open container, to a serious crime that endangers the lives of others on the road. It’s important to know what behaviors are drunk driving and how you can protect yourself if you need to drive after drinking.
Effects of Alcohol When Driving
Alcohol and driving is a common and dangerous mix, and it can even affect passengers who are driving. In general, being drunk can slow down your reaction time and affect your judgment on the road. It can be difficult to focus on driving tasks when you are drunk or drunk, which means less critical thinking. This not only means that you have less ability to control the direction or speed of a vehicle, but it also means that you’re not alert enough to react when something happens in front of you, such as a sudden turn by another driver or a child darting off the side of the road.
When you are drunk, your coordination suffers, which can make it tougher to handle the steering wheel or other controls. This is not at all times an immediate effect; even though you may feel fine driving when you’re busy, alcohol may affect your coordination barely and will get worse over time. This is why so many drunk drivers claim they only had a few drinks but are pulled over hours later and found to be well over the legal limit. Being drunk impairs judgment to such an extent that you appear utterly sober to the driver, but this weakness is at all times present even if the person is not aware of it.
How to Handle Cases
Winning a DWI case is not that easy particularly if an accident occurs. If this is your first offense and you’ve got never been arrested for driving with a disability, then you may be capable to break free easily with some help Minneapolis DWI Attorney because you can’t deal with such cases by yourself. However, if you have been charged with DWI, you may be capable to avoid prosecution if you work with a criminal defense lawyer so that your case can be resolved without going to court. Getting arrested for drunk driving is no joke, it can affect your life in many ways, some of which may seem more apparent than others. It is better to let an experienced lawyer handle the case as this will offer you a better chance of winning.
How the Law Treats Drunk Driving
The legal limit for blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is 0.08 percent, but that’s just a general marker of whether you are under the influence or not. This is a standard that has been set to try to stop drunk driving, but the reality is that it varies from person to person. This means you can have a BAC of 0.08 percent and be utterly sober, otherwise you can have a BAC as high as 0.15 percent and not feel drunk at all. Many people who have been pulled over for suspected drunk driving claim they had only had a few drinks but were still arrested, and this is because the law looks down on your BAC.
Having a BAC above 0.08 percent means you are breaking the law on drunk driving, even if you do not feel it. If you are stopped on suspicion of drunk driving, you may be asked to take a breathalyzer test or field sobriety test. It’s designed to measure the effects of alcohol and determine if your BAC is over 0.08 percent.
You can even be arrested for DWI (drunk driving) even if your BAC is below 0.08 percent, but this is normally the case when cops determine that you’re unfit to drive for some other reason. If your BAC is below 0.08 percent but you show signs of intoxication, such as slurred speech or impaired movement, then you may be detained and breathalyzered at the station.
Consequences of Drunk Driving
If you are pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving but refuse a breathalyzer test or field sobriety test, you may still be arrested and detained until you sober up. The law cannot force you to prove your sobriety, but it does mean that the officer pulling over you believes you were drunk (or at least thinks they might) and has reason to arrest you so they can take a test. done it will show your BAC. If officers determine that you’re under the influence of drugs or alcohol, they can arrest you and have a doctor test your blood to determine your BAC level.
If you exceed the legal limit of 0.08 percent, you’ll be charged a DWI or other related fee depending on the circumstances of the arrest. This can often mean fines, community service, and jail time. The exact sentence you face will vary based on the state in which you live and other factors such as whether or not there was injury in your case or if you were arrested for a repeat offence. The law was designed to make drunk driving unacceptable and designed to create penalties for doing so that it’s sufficiently loud that people are discouraged from taking to the road while they’re drinking.
Even if you do not hurt anyone else in the process of being arrested for DWI, there will be consequences to your freedom and possibly more. You may must return to court many times to resolve your case. You may face imprisonment, community service, and other punishments. Each DWI can impact your ability to find a job in the future.
Your insurance rates will skyrocket if you’re convicted of drunk driving, which means that even in the future when you choose to drive sober, you’ll be charged more for auto insurance than before. Many various things will occur to you if you’re accused of drunk driving, but many times you can avoid punishment or have your sentence reduced. Fighting the DWI charges is best done with the help of a criminal defense lawyer who is experienced in dealing with cases like this.
