Police Message to Drivers #DUI #DefenseAttorney

Newsflash from your Hollywood Attorney:

With the holiday season now in full swing, law enforcement agencies across Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties are reminding drivers if they drink or use drugs and drive, they will be arrested.

“Absolutely, yes, the person will be arrested,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Craig Carrier, who works in the agency’s Santa Maria office. “If an officer believes you’re impaired, you will be arrested.”

The legal limit to drive in California with alcohol in your system is .08. However, even if drivers have a blood alcohol content less than the legal limit, they can still be placed in custody if they fail a field sobriety test.

“Just because you’re under the legal limit doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not under the influence,” Carrier explained. “You could still be arrested.”

Getting arrested for driving under the influence is no way to celebrate the holidays, and a first-time DUI offense will also hit the pocketbook hard.

A first-time DUI offense will cost the offender close to $13,500, with an average $8,000 increase in car insurance, more than $2,500 in attorney fees and almost $1,600 in fees, fines and penalties, among other costs.

The best way to avoid arrest and a trip to County Jail during the holiday season is not to get behind the wheel after drinking, using illicit drugs such as marijuana or taking prescription drugs.

“Marijuana use is right behind alcohol in terms of driving under the influence,” Carrier said. “We also see a handful of prescription medicine arrests.”

CHP Officer Danny Maher, who works in the agency’s Coastal Division office in San Luis Obispo, said driving while using prescription medicines can also impair a person’s ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.

Many times people believe because the drug was prescribed by a medical doctor, they are safe to get behind the wheel. However, that isn’t always the case, especially with pain and anxiety medications, which often cause drowsiness, Maher said.

Because drunken and drugged driving remains the No. 1 killer on the state’s roadways — nearly 30 percent of all traffic fatalities are the result of driving under the influence collisions — the CHP is once again ramping up its efforts this holiday season to keep DUI drivers off the streets.

The law enforcement agency is engaged through Sunday in a Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP), additional officers patrolling the highways. The agency will also enact the MEP during the Christmas and New Year’s Eve holidays.

“We want to stop DUIs and injuries out on the highways,” Maher said about the MEP periods. “Obviously, there’s going to be more drinking and celebrating at this time of the year. So, we do see more (DUI drivers) out on the road.”

The CHP will also be conducting more DUI checkpoints throughout the holiday season in another effort to keep DUI drivers from operating a motor vehicle. The goal of increased checkpoints at this time of year is to deter impaired driving in the first place.

“Anytime that we have officers on the street ... that’s a life saved,” Carrier said. “Hopefully, people think twice before they get behind the wheel.”

Traffic accidents involving alcohol have been shown to drop by 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted regularly.

In 2010, the CHP conducted 264 checkpoints across the state during the holidays, screening 138,720 vehicles and arresting 620 drivers for DUI.

Both Maher and Carrier said there’s no hard-and-fast rule for knowing when a person has had too much to drink and shouldn’t drive and recommend always having a plan in place for a safe ride home prior to celebrating.

“If you consume alcohol, don’t drive. Find somebody else to drive for you,” Carrier said. “That’s the safest alternative. Every little bit impairs you some. Even if you think you’re OK, you’re probably not.”

“Think before you drive and always designate a driver,” Maher added.

Source.... http://www.lompocrecord.com/news/local/chp-s-message-to-drivers-don-t-drive-drunk/article_d0695788-58ad-11e3-bbfb-0019bb2963f4.html

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