Posts Tagged ‘Celebrity DWI’

Senator John Kerry’s daughter, Alexandra Forbes Kerry was arrested on November 19th, 2009 on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI).

According to reports, Alexandra was in Hollywood at the time of her arrest. Law enforcement pulled Miss Kerry over for an expired registration around 12:40 a.m., then arrested and booked her at the Los Angeles Police Department, Hollywood station for failing a field sobriety test and driving under the influence of alcohol. Alexandra, a 36 year old film producer and director was later released on a $5,000 bail at around 5:25 a.m.

TMZ.com reported that Alexandra refused to take a breath analyzer test at the scene. A later test show a level of 0.06, which is under the legal limit of 0.08.


We can learn from this incident that DUI drivers come from many different walks of life, age, income, and education backgrounds and are not limited to a certain group or class of people. Below are some information about the dangers of drinking and driving.

Dangers of Driving under the Influence of Alcohol

Despite the strict regulations imposed on drunk driving and the risks involved, people are still choosing to get behind the wheel of their vehicle while intoxicated. Consuming any amount of alcohol can impair your driving and increase your chances of being in a fatal motor vehicle accident. When you are in an impaired state, you do not have the same reaction time as someone who has not consumed any alcohol beverage. A person who is intoxicated while driving tends to exaggerate the response of the steering wheel, have a delay in reaction of the brake and gas pedals and loosing total control of all reflexes and good judgment.


When you choose to drive while being under the influence of alcohol, you are not only putting yourself in danger, you are also putting the life of innocent people at risk. Alcohol consumption slower your reaction time to emergency situations. It also alters your good judgment to make quick decisions and alters the normal function of your brain and body, causing you to be less alert and may also cause doubled or blurred vision, thus increasing the likelihood of a catastrophic situation.

Statutory offenses to Driving while Intoxicated

All 50 states in the US and Puerto Rico have now implemented the two statutory offenses to driving while under the influence of alcohol. The first statutory offense is driving under the influence (DUI), operating a motor vehicle while impaired or intoxicated (OWI), or driving while intoxicated or impaired (DWI). The outcome is determined by a police officer’s observations based on slurred speech, unusual driving behavior or the sobriety test. The second statutory offense is called “illegal per se”. Illegal per se is driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.80 percent or higher.

Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level

A person with a blood alcohol concentration level of .08 to .10 is considered to be legally intoxicated. A driver with the blood alcohol concentrated (BAC) of 0.10 or greater is more likely to be involved in a fatal motor vehicle than a driver who has not consumed any alcohol.

Facts about Drinking and Driving

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle wrecks due to alcohol consumption are the leading cause of death in the United States.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reported, in 2003 approximately 4 percent of people who reported driving under the influence (DUI) in the past year had been arrested and booked for DUI in the past year.


According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 41,059 people died in traffic crashes in 2007 in the United States.


In 2004, 30 percent of all fatal crashes during the week were alcohol-related, compared to 51 percent on weekends and holidays.

After admitting drunk driving in the court proceeding, famous England footballer David Bentley has been banned for driving for one year. Footballer pleaded guilty during the hearing at St Albans Magistrates’ Court. It is worth pointing that David Bentley crashed his Porsche into a lamp post after heavily drinking at a gig in London. According to media reports, 24 year old footballer has 51 mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath. In terms of statistic, it was way beyond the legal limit of 35.

Although, David is quite brilliant in football field but his drinking record is not that good. Not so long ago, Tottenham Hotspur coach Harry Redknapp asked Bentley to control his drinking habits. But looks like, Bentley ignored his coach advice. Playing for Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League, David Bentley has not found regular place in the starting line up of Tottenham Hotspur this season.

At the time of arrest, Bentley told law enforcement officials that he had parked his car at the railway station while at the gig with friends. Initially, Bentley was looking to go home with taxi but later on change his mind and decided to drive by himself as he was worried about the security of his car.

After being arrested for drunk driving, David Bentley had suffered some serious consequences. His club Tottenham Hotspur has fined Bentley of two weeks wages while sportswear company Puma has scrapped the commercial contract with the footballer.

David Bentley is not happy with the driving ban because his partner is pregnant and therefore he need to drive for regular checkup and other routines. In his judgment, district judge has said that David Bentley can get three month deduction in the driving ban but that will only happen when he is ready to participate in a drink-driving rehabilitation course.

Drunk driving is quite prevalent among soccer players, commonly using it as a medium to get rid of the stress that is associated with this profession. What these players do not realize is the fact that how dangerous it is for other people and more importantly for their well being. Any injury because of accident can have a negative impact on their career. Coming back from the injury is real tough for any football player as building match fitness takes plenty of time. Youngsters all around the world treat football players as their idol and therefore when stars like David Bentley are arrested for drunk driving, it creates a bad example.