Sobriety checkpoints can often be a hassle.  The last time I went through a checkpoint, there were four lanes of traffic that had to merge into two lanes…not to mention the long wait.  A 10 minute ride home had turned into a 45-minute ride home.  Yes, a big hassle it was.

But what if you were rewarded for being sober when you went through a checkpoint?  What if you were given a free turkey?That’s what the city of Salinas is doing next Tuesday.  They’ve partnered with The Safe Teens Empowerment Project in Salinas (S.T.E.P.S.) to hand out turkeys to sober drivers.  Read more about it at the Salinas Californian.

It’s definitely an interesting way to keep people sober for one night, but what about the other 364 days of the year?

I did an internet search for sobriety checkpoints here in San Diego and discovered this interesting thread where people are sharing their sobriety checkpoint stories.  The conversation has been closed to new posts, so if you have a story to share, feel free to leave a comment here…

In 2008 a poll conducted by AAA found that 80% of American supported the idea of requiring drunk driving offenders to have ignition interlock devices installed in their vehicles.  

Were you aware that auto crashes are the number one killer of teenagers in America? According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), automobile crashes are more common among young drivers than any other age group. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, twenty-three percent of teenage drivers in fatal car wrecks had a blood-alcohol level (BAC) above the legal limit of .08.

• In the United States, 1 in 4 crash fatalities involve someone 16 to 24 years old, nearly twice as high as other age groups. 
• According to the
• According to this study that was published at PubMed.gov, child passengers in teen nighttime crashes had an increased injury risk and an increased risk of restraint non-use compared with those in teen daytime crashes.

Last holiday season, Allstate Insurance Company conducted a study and came up with a list of the top 10 deadliest hot spots for fatal teen crashes during the holiday seasons:

• Jacksonville, Fla.
• Columbus, Ohio
• Birmingham, Ala.
• Orlando
• Phoenix
• Las Vegas
• Philadelphia
• Sacramento, Calif.
• St. Louis

Photo Credit: Ged Carroll

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.

If the defense objects, prosecutors must present the analyst in court as a witness. If the defense doesn’t object, the paper analysis can be introduced without live testimony.

This means that the results of a breath test or a blood test in a DUI case can be used as evidence without an expert witness in court if the defense doesn’t notify the prosecution of an objection.

Typically in a DUI case, expert witnesses are called in by the prosecution to talk about breath tests, chemical tests, field sobriety tests, accident reconstruction, and other scientific aspects of being under the influence.

Source:  Washington Post

If you’ve been arrested for a DUI in San Diego, contact an experienced attorney to help you with your case.

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

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!

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?

However, one thing we should probably be thinking about first is whether or not marijuana does affect a person’s driving abilities.  According to the The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), there has been a great deal of research done exploring the impact of marijuana on psychomotor skills and actual driving performance.  What has been found is that marijuana has a measurable, yet relatively mild effect on psychomotor skills, and it does not appear to play a significant role in car accidents, particularly when compared to alcohol.

This is not to say, however, that it’s ok to smoke marijuana and drive.  Doing anything that has even a small chance of affecting your driving abilities should be considered a no-no.

If you’ve been accused of driving under the influence of marijuana, contact an experienced San Diego DUI lawyer to help you with your case.

Photo Credit: R0bz

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.

What’s nice now is that CalTrans is working on widening Highway 76 from a winding, two-lane road to a straighter four-lane highway.  The project should be completed in 2012 or 2013.

Whether or not an increase in DUI enforcement along Highway 76 will help – only time will tell.  There are, however, many other ways that we could help in preventing drunk driving.

If you’ve been arrested for a DUI in San Diego, get the help that you need!

For awhile now, DUI defense lawyers have talked about the accuracy of breath tests.  Breathalyzer machines are supposed to be maintained by law enforcement, but sometimes these machines don’t get the attention that they need.  You can also refer to a previous post where I talked about a few things that could affect the reading of a breathalyzer.

Well, it looks like the California Supreme Court has taken notice of this issue.  The court has said that breathalyzer results mean different things for different people.  The court has also ruled that suspected drunken drivers can attack the test results in court.

This ruling could mean that companies that manufacture breathalyzer machines would probably have to come up with new technology to determine whether or not a driver is over the legal limit.  Otherwise, every DUI offender would fight his/her case claiming inaccuracy of the breathalyzer.

It’s certainly time for a new way for law enforcement to measure the blood alcohol level of a driver.  We applaud the California Supreme Court for taking steps to resolve these types of issues.

Read more about this over at the DUI Law Blog…

If you’ve been arrested for drunk driving in San Diego, it’s important to hire a San Diego DUI defense attorney to investigate and determine whether or not you were indeed driving illegally.

If you are pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving, you have the right to choose the type of alcohol test to submit to law enforcement. You should never be forced to take one over the other.

This is the issue that has come up in Vincent Jackson’s case. Jackson, a San Diego Chargers wide receiver, was arrested this past January on suspicion of drunk driving. San Diego DUI lawyer, Cole Casey, is representing Jackson and argues that Jackson was forced to have his blood drawn against his will after repeatedly requesting a breath test.

If you are ever pulled over, keep in mind that you are only required to present your driver’s license and vehicle documentation. It is not mandatory that you answer any questions regarding your destination, number of drinks consumed, etc. You are also not required to perform any sobriety tests. If law enforcement start to question you, you can say, “I will not answer any questions until I consult with my lawyer.”

If you do submit to a test and it is determined that your BAC (blood alcohol content) is 0.08% or over, you will be arrested. Find out the penalties for a DUI in San Diego…