Drunk driving is one of the most common crimes. You may be surprised to learn that you are breaking the law even if you are 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 at a height, but other behaviors can make you go against the law. These acts can range from a misdemeanor, such as driving a truck with an open box, to a felony where you endanger the life of others on the road. It’s important to know what behaviors are driving while intoxicated and how you can protect yourself if you need to drive after drinking.
Effects of alcohol while driving
Alcohol and driving are a common and dangerous mix, and it can also affect those who are driving as passengers. In general, being drunk can slow down your reaction time and affect your judgment on the road. You may find it difficult to concentrate on your driving while drunk or buzzing, which means impaired critical thinking. This not only means that you have less control over the direction or speed of the vehicle, but it also means that you are not alert enough to react when things happen in front of you, such as a person. Another driver makes a sudden turn or a child jumps out from the side of the road.
When you’re drunk, your coordination is also affected, which can make steering or other controls more difficult. This doesn’t always work immediately; While you may feel comfortable driving with the tinnitus, alcohol can slightly affect your coordination, and this will get worse as time goes on. This is why so many drunk drivers claim they only had a few drinks but are pulled back more than hours later and deemed to have exceeded the legal limit. Drunkness impairs judgment to the point where it may appear to the driver that you are fully awake, but this impairment persists even when the person is not aware.
How to handle the case
Winning a DWI is not easy, especially if a crash occurs. If this is your first offense and you have never been arrested for impaired driving, you can get away easily with the help of Minneapolis DWI attorneys because you cannot handle such cases by yourself. However, if you have been charged with DWI, you can avoid conviction if you work with a criminal defense attorney so your case can be resolved without going to trial. Getting arrested for drunk driving is no joke, it can affect your life in a variety of ways, some of which seem more obvious than others. It is better to allow an experienced lawyer to handle the case as this will give you a better chance of winning.
How does the law deal with drunk driving?
The legal limit for blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is 0.8 percent, but that’s just a general indication of whether you’re affected. It’s an established standard to try to discourage drunk driving, but the reality is that it varies from person to person. This means you can have a BAC of 0.08% and be fully awake, or you can have a BAC as high as 0.15% and not feel intoxicated at all. Many people who have been pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving claim they only had a few drinks and still get caught, and this is down to how the law looks at your BAC.
Having a BAC over 0.8 percent means you’ve broken the law about drunk driving, even if you don’t feel it. If you are stopped on suspicion of drunk driving, you may be asked to take a breather or sobriety test. They are designed to measure the effects of alcohol and determine if your BAC is above 0.8 percent.
You can also be arrested for DWI (drunk driving) even if your BAC is below 0.8%, but this usually happens when the police deem you unfit to drive for certain reasons. other reasons. If your BAC is less than 0.8 percent but you show signs of intoxication, such as slurred speech or impaired movement, you may be detained and on a ventilator at the station.
Consequences of driving while drunk
If you are pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving but refuse to have a breath or sobriety test, you can still be arrested and detained until you sober. The law can’t force you to prove your sobriety, but it does mean that the officer who pulled you over is sure you’re intoxicated (or at least think it’s possible) and well-grounded. to catch you for them to check. done that will show your BAC. If the officer certifies that you are impaired by drugs or alcohol, they may arrest you and Your doctor tests your blood to determine your BAC level.
If it exceeds the legal limit of 0.8 percent, then you will be charged with DWI or another related fee depending on the circumstances of the arrest. This often means fines, community service, and jail time. The exact penalties you face will vary based on the state where you live and other factors such as whether or not there was an injury in your case or if you were arrested for a repeat offence. The law is designed to state that drunk driving is unacceptable and it is designed to make the penalties for doing so stiff enough that people are discouraged from crossing the road when they drank alcohol.
Even if you don’t hurt anyone else during your DWI arrest, there will be consequences to your freedom and possibly more. You may have to go back to court several times to get your case resolved. You could face jail time, community service, and other penalties. Each DWI can affect your ability to work in the future.
Your insurance rates will skyrocket if you’re convicted of drunk driving, meaning that even in the future when you choose to drive sober, you’ll end up paying more for car insurance. before. Many different things will happen to you if you are charged with drunk driving, but many times you can avoid a conviction or have your punishment reduced. Fighting DWI charges is best done with the help of a criminal defense attorney experienced in handling these types of cases.
