Lawyer Reviews

Archive for September, 2010

Anyone who drinks, then drives should be aware that the chance of their having an accident if intoxicated rises with their blood alcohol level. Using alcoholic beverages or any kind of mood-changing drug will impair the ability of any driver to operate their vehicle safely. A DUI accident is always regarded as being more serious than an accident caused when the driver was sober.

As information about the number of DUI accidents as become more widespread, public indignation over the damage caused by drunk drivers has increased. Stricter laws have been passed in most states to punish those who have caused DUI related car accidents more severely. Every state in the United States now recognizes that anyone with a blood alcohol content of.08% will be considered to be legally drunk, and any accident in which they are the offending party will be treated as DUI conviction case.

If someone is pulled over by the police and found to be intoxicated, this is usually considered to be a misdemeanor, and any penalties will be light, as long as there has been injury neither to people or property. However, if the state of a person’s intoxication has caused a car accident while driving, then the penalty will move into the felony classification, a much more serious phase. Depending on how serious the injuries caused by the drunk driving accident, the offender can face a lengthy jail sentence.

In addition to a long jail sentence, those who have caused a DUI accident involving injuries or serious property damage will also face large fines and probationary periods that will be longer than would otherwise be imposed for a crime of a similar nature. Suspension or revocation of the driver’s license will nearly always result from a drunk driving car accident since keeping a dangerous driver off the road will be a concern. While it is sometimes possible to retain use of the driver’s license until the trial, this is not always the case, and loss of the driver’s license can be immediate. The person causing a DUIaccident will generally also be responsible for court costs and be made to take treatment for substance abuse.

While drunk drivers are not responsible for every traffic fatality, DUI accidents cause 32% of vehicle deaths. Some of these are the drunk driver, as they often neglect to fasten their safety harness, but a good number involve totally innocent people of all ages. In many states, anyone involved in a DUI accident with fatalities will be charged with vehicular manslaughter. If convicted, the defendant can face a long-term in the penitentiary. Although it was formerly possible for a sentence to be reduced by a judge or for good behavior while in prison, most of the states now impose a sentence that will have to be served to its full extent; id est., if the sentence for a DUI accident is 10 years, then ten years is what the offender will serve, there will be no time off.

The best way to avoid a DUI accident and the attendant miseries and troubles for all concerned is to make sure that you are a responsible drinker and driver. Keeping alcohol consumption light or having a safe way to get home is the best ways to keep yourself and others safe.