New DUI Law in Virginia

Here’s some interesting news from the state of Virginia…Today the Virginia General Assembly voted  to drop a legal requirement that prosecutors prove that breath machines in DUI cases have been tested and are accurate.  They also established a timetable for defendants to challenge scientific evidence.

Lawyers in Virginia now have to notify a defendant at least 28 days before trial that they intend to use a scientific analysis of alcohol, drugs, DNA, blood or other evidence. The defendant then has 14 days to object to prosecutors’ use of an analysis without a testifying witness.

DUI Arrests Rising For Women

The big news lately regarding drunk driving is that women in the U.S. are drinking more alcohol, and drunken-driving arrests among females are steadily rising.

This article over at the Examiner offers some staggering statistics such as women being accounted for 18.8 percent of all DUI arrests in 2007 – which is an increase from 13.5 percent nearly a decade earlier.

What’s interesting to note is that below the article is a comment by a reader (“RIDL_Prez”) who gives us a different perspective on the issue:

“Back when we were battling .08, one of the things we warned about was that .08 was going to unfairly target women and that more women would be getting DUI’s. Now it’s here and everybody’s worried, but no one seems to be putting it together with the lowered BAC level. No, they want to attribute it to women drinking more so that they can start a new campaign to try and get women in general to drink less. It’s just more prohibitionist garbage.”

Read more about this issue:  Women Drinking More, DUIs Up While Falling Among Men

Related Post: Are Young Women Safe Drivers?

If you are a women needing help with your DUI in San Diego, make sure to hire a professional attorney who specializes in DUI cases.

Photo Credit:  Russell James Smith

One Case In Which You Definitely Need a San Diego DUI Lawyer

Imagine being pulled over one night…You’ve been visiting a few bars and there’s a chance that you could be over the legal drinking limit.  What you don’t know is that private investigators who have been hired by your ex-wife have notified the police that you’re drunk driving.

So you’ve been pulled over and now you’re having health issues because you’re a diabetic.  You ask the police for medical help and they deny you urgent care.  It isn’t until several hours later that a nurse at the jail notices that your blood-glucose levels are extremely high.  The police finally decide to take you to the emergency room.

If this happened to you, what would you do?

Well, this has happened to John F. Steel IV, the former CEO of San Diego biomed company MicroIslit, and now he’s suing for allegations of false arrest, negligence, battery, excessive force and conspiracy.

Click here to read the full story at SignOnSanDiego.com…

This is definitely one of those cases in which you would want to hire a professional and experienced San Diego DUI lawyer to help you!

The Legalization of Marijuana and DUI’s

Here in California there has been an on-going debate about the legalization of marijuana.  Recently 56 percent of voters approved of Proposition 215 which legalizes marijuana cultivation, possession and use for medical reasons, with no prescription required.

Currently in the state of California it is illegal to drive while under the influence of marijuana.  One particular concern for people is the possibility of an increase of DUI’s if people are allowed to smoke marijuana whenever and wherever they want. Will there be any ramifications if marijuana is legalized?

Law Enforcement Gets Grant to Step Up DUI Enforcement on Highway 76

KPBS reports that a law enforcement agency in San Diego’s north county is getting a grant to step up DUI enforcement along State Route 76.  The highway has seen 13 deaths and 303 injuries related to DUI’s on the road in the past three years.

California Highway 76 begins in Downtown Oceanside and runs east approximately 52 miles to a junction with California Highway 79 near Lake Henshaw.  It is only a two-lane highway, which may be another reason why there are so many accidents – and not just DUI accidents.  Accidents on 76 was such a common occurrence that the Californai Department of Transportation had to produce this video.