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Archive for the ‘Drunk Driving’ Category« Older EntriesNewer Entries » Penalties and Cost of Drunk Driving in ArizonaPosted on Jun 01, 2010
If you feel like having a drink and hopping behind the wheel, don’t do it in Arizona. Arizona has one of the harshest DUI laws in the country for first time offenders. Lawmakers are trying to decrease the drunk driving fatalities with the ‘Super Extreme’ DUI law. In 2006, Arizona ranked sixth in the nation for drinking and driving related traffic fatalities. Penalties and ConditionsStarting in 2007, being arrested and receiving a drunk driving conviction in Arizona includes additional penalties and conditions. Lawmakers passed a tough new law that requires ignition interlock devices for first time offenders and created a new ‘super extreme’ classification of drunk driver. The ignition interlock penalty is modeled after New Mexico law where officials cite a reduction in alcohol related fatalities since the car disabling device was made mandatory for everyone convicted of drunk driving. ‘Super extreme’ DWI offenders are those who have a blood alcohol content of 0.20% or higher on the breathalyzer test. The new penalties for drivers who reach this threshold include higher fines and a minimum of 45 days in jail. Previously, a judge could suspend part of a jail sentence if the defendant completed a court-sponsored drug or alcohol program. Deterrent to Drunk DrivingThe lawmaker’s intent was to provide a strong deterrent to drunk driving, though Arizona DUI defense attorneys said the strict new laws would clog the court system with those challenging their drunk driving arrests in Arizona. They also cited many hardships, especially for those charged with their first DUI. The Arizona Motor Vehicle Division charged more than 17,000 motorists with a first-time drunk driving offense in 2008. The DUI law will require every one of them to pass a breathalyzer test $100 and it costs $80 per month to maintain it. Most offenders are required to have the device in their vehicles for 12 months, and the cost of the interlock is in addition to court fines of $1,000 or more. Solutions to DUIStatistics show that the majority of those arrested for DUI will not be repeat offenders, leading critics to say the penalties cast a wide net while failing to offer long-term solutions for chronic, repeat drunk drivers. Arizona’s DUI legislation was signed into law by Governor Janet Napolitano in May of 2007. Since then Illinois and Louisiana have enacted similar ignition-interlock requirements for first-time DUI offenders. In Arizona, DUI penalties depend on the level of the charge, and on your criminal record. A previous DUI conviction counts against you as a prior if the arrest date occurred within 7 years (84 months) of the current arrest date. DUI, DWI, Drunk Driving3 Comments »Drunk Driving Laws DUI DWIDouble Standards for DUI – How to justify them?Posted on May 20, 2010There are many complaints from drivers all over the United States about the non-existence of a level playing field when it comes to DUI. From the analysis conducted by various concerned groups, we see that some individuals seem to be above the law and can commit any amount of DUI without ever being prosecuted. Their findings were based on investigative work done by several lawyers and include: Friends in the DA OfficeThe case of Randy Saavedra: Randy Saavedra, a director of the administrative office of New Mexico and son of State Rep. Henry Saacedra was pulled over on suspicion of DUI. This is not the strange part. He has vowed to fight the case based on a peculiar turn of events during his encounter with his arresting officer. When Mr. Saavedra was pulled over on suspicion of DUI and was given a breathalyzer test, he blew a 0.08 that would qualify him as legally drunk. The officer also stated that he had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and a smell of alcohol. However, someone somewhere decided that the machine must be defective so a second breathalyzer test must be given. This time he blew a 0.07. Now tell me, who gets a second chance at a breathalyzer test. It shows it pays to have good friends in the DA’s office. Benefits of being a CopWhen civilians are convicted due to DUIs, they receive various forms of punishment such as loss of driver’s license, fines or jail time. However, we do not see this same attitude transferred to cops, the protectors of the state. A study conducted in the state of New York revealed that of some 55 cops charged with drunk driving, almost all of them were allowed to remain on the job. This was so although the New York police Department has the power to fire cops who cause serious injury to another individual or is deemed unfit for duty due to the consumption of alcohol. What they saw was that these DUI cops were offered the opportunity to plead to a lesser charge such as driving while impaired or simple disorderly conduct. Sports Coaches get preferential treatmentCoaches are supposed to be a beacon of positive example for the athletes under their charge. However, not all coaches seem to have read the script. We look at the case of Sacramento’s rookie coach Eric Musselman who was pulled over by a cop for making a right turn from a left lane and cutting off another motorist. When confronted by the cop, he failed three field-sobriety tests and actually blew a .11 during his breathalyzer test (legal limit 0.8).No sanctions were levied against him. This left me thinking to myself, what if it were one of his players, how would he deal with the situation. Would he be suspended, given extra workouts, ordered to counseling? For peace of mind, I settled with the thought that the guys in the suit are given more latitude than the ones who sweat. Friends, what do you think of double standard DUI laws; do share your experiences and thoughts with us. DWI Laws, DWI cases, Drunk Driving2 Comments »Drunk Driving DUI Laws Suspicion of DUITeenage Drunk Driving – How to Handle the Situation at Home?Posted on Apr 30, 2010What could be terrifying than a teenager driving? Maybe teenage drunk driving or even worse, your teenager drinking and driving. Imagine this scenario: your teenager goes out for good time or a movie with their friends. They should be back home at around nine o’clock, but it is already eleven-thirty and you haven’t heard from them. You hope they’re just running late but something inside leads you to believe it is something more. Finally there is a knock on the door and it is a patrolman from the local police department, lights flashing. The patrolman is standing at your door by himself and you automatically think the worst. He then informs you that you must come to the police station to pick up your teen that has been caught driving while intoxicated.  Parental Role in Teenage DUIWhat do you say to your teenager on the way home? Do you try to scare him with horror stories and statistics? Do you remain silent and wait for him/her to speak? You should get the answer to these questions now! I am not going to pretend that I am an expert and I am not going to start dishing out advice. But you should be prepared. You should start reading up on all the advice that teenage parenting gurus have to offer. Also, think about some preventive measures find out about peer pressure and what going on at your teenager’s school. As a matter of fact, don’t wait until you have a teenager. Start now! Get involved in your child’s life; not just as an enabler or hoverer. Serious Parental ChoicesThe enabler becomes the child’s friend and enjoys the child’s life as if they are reliving their childhood. These are the parents that buy alcohol for their child. We all know this type parent. Remember the friend that everyone would go over his house because his Mom was so cool? She would supply the drinks for you because she thought it would be safer for you to drink at her house rather than sneak off and do it. When you were over there you knew you were in for some fun!  Then there is the helicopter parent, always hovering over their kids. Never allow them enough room to grow. You knew this kid; his mother would never let him out of her sight! That didn’t help because then he would just sneak off and drink. |
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