Every parent’s nightmare is that their child will die before them. The tragedy is compounded when a child is killed by a drunk driver. But what if you are that DUI driver and you cause the death of your own child. Just this week, a Los Angeles mother was driving…
Articles Posted in DUI
CHANGES IN UNDERAGE DUI OVER RECENT DECADES
Unless you are of a certain age, you may not know that until 1988, the drinking age in many states was 18 years old. It was not until 1988 that every state raised the drinking age to 21. The raising of the drinking age in all states to 21 came…
DUI BREATH TEST DEVICE INACCURACIES
INVESTIGATION REVEALS GROSS INACCURACIES IN DUI BREATH TEST DEVICES From the early Drunkometerprotypes to today’s purportedly sophisticated breathalyzers, the police have been administering breath tests on suspected drunk drivers for decades and millions have been arrested on the results of these devices. A recent New York Times investigationrevealed that the…
BUT OFFICER, MY STOMACH MADE ME DRUNK
This must be the strangest DUI defenses I have ever heard of… but it’s true. It came to my attention when I read an article about a Boston man who was driving, seemingly drunk. The police didn’t believe him when he told them his “drunkenness” was caused by a medical…
DRIVER WHO WAS DRINKING MAKES THE WISE CHOICE TO TAKE A RIDESHARE IS KILLED BY A DRUNK DRIVER.
Earlier this year, two friends, Giao Pham and Andy Lynn, were visiting San Diego from San Francisco. The two men stopped at a local San Diego bar. At the same time and in the same bar, a young San Diego woman, Alondra Marquez, was drinking with her friends. Messrs. Pham…
DUI AND THE HABITUAL TRAFFIC OFFENDER DESIGNATION
One of the potential hazards of a DUI offense is the “Habitual Traffic Offender” designation. Even one DUI combined with other violations within a 12-month period can trigger a habitual traffic offender charge. There are several DUI-related conditions that make a driver a habitual traffic offender: One of the…
SURVEY RESPONDENTS BELIEVE HIGH DRIVERS ARE LESS DANGEROUS THAN SLEEPY DRIVERS
The American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety recently released the results of its annual Traffic Safety Culture Index. Among the findings is that 70 percent of the respondents believe driving under the influence of cannabis is very dangerous or extremely dangerous. While this is a significant percentage, it…
CAN A LOW CARB DIET CAUSE AN INACCURATE BREATHALYZER RESULT?
Ketogenic (Keto) and low carbohydrate diets are among the more popular eating lifestyles these days. Someone on a strict Keto or other low carb diet metabolizes energy differently than a person who is eating a normal amount of carbs. The liver of a person on such diets breaks down…
WOULD LOWERING THE BAC IN CALIFORNIA TO 0.05% SAVE MORE LIVES?
Two years ago I wrote about the national movementtoward lowering the per se BAC to 0.05%. Since then, Utah has become the first state to write the 0.05% per se BAC into law. There is a bill pending in the California legislature, which is currently referred to Committee (AB-1713),…
CAN I BE ARRESTED FOR DUI EVEN IF THE ARRESTING OFFICER DID NOT OBSERVE ME DRIVING?
I’m sure you’ve seen the billboards: “Report Drunk Drivers. Call 9-1-1.” The CHP and other agencies even have tips for spotting and reporting a drunk driver. So, let’s say you see a car weaving somewhat on the road and you suspect a drunk driver. You call 9-1-1 and report…