DUI Blog

It is illegal in most states for minors to be partaking of alcohol, marijuana, and other controlled substances, and to drive while doing so puts them in double jeopardy. Yet, teenagers are doing so at alarming regularity. Some studies show that 70 percent of teenagers drink alcohol, and 60 percent of all teen deaths in car accidents are alcohol-related. So, why do teenagers drink and then drive?

The answer varies, but I am sure the reason why most teenagers drink and then drive has not really changed all that much since I was a teenager some 45 years ago. I can remember like it was just yesterday. I was home from my first semester in college, and I met my older brother in the bigger city at a nightclub some 30 miles from where I grew up. Many of our friends from our small hometown were there including Chris and Vance, who, like me, were underage. My brother was one of the few in our group who was of age. Even in those days when we had no computer at home, we all had learned the art of faking our identification. Being 19, it was fun to be able to go to a nightclub, drink, dance, and meet new girls. After all, it was simply just socializing, something we had seen our parents do all our young lives. Of course, the night must always come to an end, and just as sure as the sun was going to come up the next morning, we were still 30 miles from home. Having consumed more than the legal limit of alcohol, we each mounted our trusty vehicles and drove back home. My brother and I left a little earlier than our friends, something to do with the next morning. By the grace of God, I like to think, we made it back safely to our cozy beds our Mom had so lovingly made for us. Vance and Chris were not so lucky. Driving a 1965 Ford Mustang, the cops estimated they were doing 105 mph when they hit the curve just four miles from their own safe and cozy bed. The curve was sharp and had multiple telephone poles sunk into the ground with a one inch steel cable passing through them acting as a guard rail. Four of the poles were no match for the mass of the Mustang’s steel as it tumbled and rolled, snapping the poles like breaking tooth picks. Both Chris and Vance, not wearing seat belts, were thrown from the vehicle. Vance was killed instantly when he landed directly on his neck breaking it in multiple places, and Chris died in the hospital earlier that morning having lost his lower jaw, they later said, when the Mustang rolled over him. Was this just another case of a teenage alcohol related accident? Being a small town, there was never a need to publicly humiliate the parents by announcing the blood alcohol content of the boys, but my brother and I, who had partied the previous night with Chris and Vance, knew the real truth. The local police never asked us about where we were that fatal night, but the memories still haunt me to this day.

We all have to get from one place to the next, and socializing is in our nature. Before you consider drinking and driving in Ohio, please know that regardless of whether or not you are a teenager, a first time DUI conviction can cost you an administrative license suspension of 90 days, a court-ordered suspension up to three years, up to 72 hours in jail, and up to a $1000 fine. On top of that, the conviction will go on your permanent driving record as public information.

If you are a teenager or have a teenager that has recently been accused of a DUI in Dayton, Ohio, you are going to need professional help. Contact us right now at DUIAttorneyHome.com , and we will help you find the professional in your area who is not only understanding of the laws affecting teenage drunk driving, but they remember and understand what it was like when they were a teenager. They were once young, but they grew up, and now, they want to help you.

Driving under the influence (DUI), the term most commonly used to describe the legal offense of drunk driving, has been attributed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to causing 15,387 of the 41,059 deaths by automobile accidents occurring in 2007. The figure represents 37 percent of the total fatal accidents throughout the United States.

The NHTSA says, “A motor vehicle crash is considered to be alcohol-related if at least one driver involved in the crash is determined to have had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .01 gram per deciliter (g/dL) or higher. Thus, any fatality that occurs in an alcohol-related crash is considered an alcohol-related fatality.”

In 2007 in the state of Florida, there were 1,111 fatal alcohol-related fatalities which represented 33 percent of the total in that state. Non-fatal DUI caused accident statistics are even more startling than the fatality statistics. Non-fatal DUI accidents include numerous disabling injuries across our land and hospital bills we are often left to fend off for ourselves.

It is true what some say, it does not pay to drink and drive. With these startling statistics, is there any wonder states are cracking down on the people who drive while drinking? Across the nation, depending on the severity of the traffic violation which would include the consideration of a fatality, convictions for drinking and driving can be considered a misdemeanor or a felony and can bring a multitude of harsh punishments. With a conviction, a person’s record could permanently brand him or her as a life time criminal. The record is often made public to employers and insurance companies.

Traffic laws are made to protect the innocent, and there usually is an innocent party in most traffic accidents. So, if you have been hurt, disabled, or had a fatality of one of your family members as a result of a DUI related accident, and you feel like you are the innocent party involved, these types of accidents are too serious and complicated for the average layman to handle by themselves. You more than likely need a legal professional to help advise you on what to do and how to protect yourself. Contact us right now and we will help you find the legal representation in your area that you will need.

Technically, DUI means driving under the influence of some type drug. That can mean alcohol, prescriptions, or illegal drugs. The term DUI is not commonly used in the legal system in New York State. DWI means simply driving while intoxicated, and in many states, refers to the use of alcohol. The word “intoxicated,” in New York, refers to a motorist whose alcohol has rendered physically and mentally incapable of driving a vehicle in a reasonable and prudent manner. The use of DUI and DWI can be interchangeable, but DWI usually refers more to the severity the drug has metabolized within the offending person’s body. The blood alcohol content (BAC) for the offending motorist to be labeled as DWI is .08%.

New York complicates the meaning of the term by introducing another term named Driving While Ability Impaired (DWAI). The word “impaired” means that a motorist’s physical and mental abilities necessary to operate a vehicle in a reasonable and prudent manner have been actually impaired, to any extent, by alcohol. This term is closely related to DWI because it deals with the amount of alcohol that has been absorbed in the offenders blood stream. For a DWAI offender to be convicted, they must must leave the perception their BAC is at least .05% and less than .08%. DWAI is prosecuted as a “common”law and carries a lesser charge than DWI, which is prosecuted as a “per se” law. In New York, a person accused of DWI immediately has their license suspended, but if they are accused of DWAI, they will be able to drive until they have been convicted.

Like most states today, first time convictions of any act involving driving and the use of drugs in New York carry severe consequences. Either a DWI or DWAI conviction can result in high fines, jail sentences, surcharges on top of fines called Driver Responsibility Assessment, license suspension, issuance of a conditional license, participation in the Drinking Driver Program (DDP), vehicle impounded, probation, and community service.

According to the Buffalo News, City & Region, dated August 14, 2009, twelve DWI arrests were made in Western New York on June 6, 2009. Arrests were made in Buffalo, Batavia, Alden, Darien, Cheektowaga, Amherst, and Newstead. The charges ranged from DWI to felony DWI. Whatever term you refer to drinking and driving or drunk driving, states are clamping down on these type traffic violations. When you face these kinds of charges, it is no time to handle your case all by yourself. You need an attorney who specializes in such cases. Contact us today to help you get in contact with an attorney who can help you understand the subtle differences in the legal jargon of New York law, and who specializes in representing YOUR best interests.

It is illegal in most states for minors to be partaking of alcohol, marijuana, and other controlled substances, and to drive while doing so puts them in double jeopardy. Yet, teenagers are doing so at alarming regularity. Some studies show that 70 percent of teenagers drink alcohol, and 60 percent of all teen deaths in car accidents are alcohol-related. So, why do teenagers drink and then drive?

The answer varies, but I am sure the reason why most teenagers drink and then drive has not really changed all that much since I was a teenager some 45 years ago. I can remember like it was just yesterday. I was home from my first semester in college, and I met my older brother in the bigger city at a nightclub some 30 miles from where I grew up. Many of our friends from our small hometown were there including Chris and Vance, who, like me, were underage. My brother was one of the few in our group who was of age. Even in those days when we had no computer at home, we all had learned the art of faking our identification. Being 19, it was fun to be able to go to a nightclub, drink, dance, and meet new girls. After all, it was simply just socializing, something we had seen our parents do all our young lives. Of course, the night must always come to an end, and just as sure as the sun was going to come up the next morning, we were still 30 miles from home. Having consumed more than the legal limit of alcohol, we each mounted our trusty vehicles and drove back home. My brother and I left a little earlier than our friends, something to do with the next morning. By the grace of God, I like to think, we made it back safely to our cozy beds our Mom had so lovingly made for us. Vance and Chris were not so lucky. Driving a 1965 Ford Mustang, the cops estimated they were doing 105 mph when they hit the curve just four miles from their own safe and cozy bed. The curve was sharp and had multiple telephone poles sunk into the ground with a one inch steel cable passing through them acting as a guard rail. Four of the poles were no match for the mass of the Mustang’s steel as it tumbled and rolled, snapping the poles like breaking tooth picks. Both Chris and Vance, not wearing seat belts, were thrown from the vehicle. Vance was killed instantly when he landed directly on his neck breaking it in multiple places, and Chris died in the hospital earlier that morning having lost his lower jaw, they later said, when the Mustang rolled over him. Was this just another case of a teenage alcohol related accident? Being a small town, there was never a need to publicly humiliate the parents by announcing the blood alcohol content of the boys, but my brother and I, who had partied the previous night with Chris and Vance, knew the real truth. The local police never asked us about where we were that fatal night, but the memories still haunt me to this day.

We all have to get from one place to the next, and socializing is in our nature. Before you consider drinking and driving in South Carolina, please know that regardless of whether or not you are a teenager, a first time DUI conviction can cost you up to 90 days in jail, a $1000 fine, 30 days of public employment service, and your license being suspended for six months. On top of that, the conviction will go on your permanent driving record as public information.

If you are a teenager or have a teenager that has recently been accused of a DUI in Columbia, South Carolina, you are going to need professional help. Contact us now and we will help you find the professional in your area who is not only understanding of the laws affecting teenage drunk driving, but they remember and understand what it was like when they were a teenager. They were once young, but they grew up, and now, they want to help you.