Many people don’t know that a DUI conviction may have other consequences beyond the driver’s license suspension, probation, and mandatory DUI classes. In California, there is a huge body of administrative law, much of it quasi-criminal. The immediate administrative per se suspension of a DUI arrestee’s driver license is…
Your parents or grandparents might remember the days when a drunk driver was given a warning and then escorted home by the police and told to sleep it off. Maybe you watched Mad Men and wondered if drunk driving was just a way of life back in the 60s.…
Did this Napa school bus driver take a wine tasting detour? A school bus driver in Napa was recently arrested for driving under the influence after she damaged the undercarriage of her bus with 28 students on board. Fortunately, none of the students were injured. As hard as it…
Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner. Time for gathering around the big screen with chips and beer, lots of beer. And time for the CHP to be out in full force. The Super Bowl Sunday roads are notoriously plagued with drivers impaired by alcohol. In fact, the…
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU REFUSE TO SUBMIT TO A CHEMICAL TEST AFTER A DUI ARREST? Most California drivers are aware that the law does not convey the same Constitutional rights, which are normally afforded to an arrestee, when the person is arrested for driving under the influence. For example, the…
The trend is clear: States are legalizing the recreational or medical use of marijuana. In fact, twenty-three states plus the District of Columbia have legalized the use of marijuana in some form. Yet most state laws have not established clear methods or guidelines to assist law enforcement when they suspect…
THE “RISING BLOOD ALCOHOL” DEFENSE If you are arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and your blood alcohol level is only slightly above the legal threshold of 0.08%, your attorney might consider what is called the “rising blood alcohol” defense. Without getting into the scientific details, this defense…
A BETTER WAY TO TREAT DUIs You have probably heard that the so-called “War on Drugs” has been lost. Increasingly law enforcement and the courts are recognizing that punishment does not resolve the offender’s drug addictions. New sentencing schemes are being developed that focus less on punishing the chronic drug…
THE ONE DRINK AN HOUR RULE Have you ever heard of the “One Drink an Hour Rule?” According to this rule, if have only drink per hour, your blood alcohol level (BAC) will remain under the legal DUI limit of .08%. (One drink is roughly defined as 1 1/4 ounce…
california supreme court holds that circumstantial evidence of intoxication may be considered in dui hearings A driver was pulled over in Orange County by the CHP when the officer observed her car swerving erratically. Upon contacting the driver, the officer observed indications that she had been drinking alcohol. The officer…