Posts Tagged ‘Driving Under The Influence’

California drunk driving accident lawyers have been very encouraged at the decline in the number of accidents caused by DUIs in recent years. Fewer people are likely to be killed in accidents caused by intoxicated drivers compared to what they used to be in the previous decades. However, in recent days, it has been very disconcerting to see a rise in the number of drunk driving accidents in the recent news headlines. All of these have serious implications.

Last month, a United Airlines pilot was found to be intoxicated as he showed up for duty. The pilot was arrested, and the news made headlines around the world. Then, there was the overzealous LazyBoy enthusiast in Minnesota, who fitted his recliner with headlights, a drink holder and a lawnmower engine, downed more than a few drinks, and barreled down the streets. He ended up crashing his recliner into a car. The man’s alcohol level at the time of the crash was 0.29. Fortunately, no one was injured in the accident, and the incident was more of a joke than a safety issue.

In 2008, 11,173 people died in drunk driving accidents. Those numbers were down close to 10 percent from 13,041 in 2007. However, in 2008, intoxicated driving accident fatalities accounted for 32 percent of traffic accident fatalities.
Last year, according to FBI estimates, about one and a half million people were arrested for drunk driving.
There is also an increase in the number of women driving under the influence of alcohol. Between 2007 and 2008, the total number of people arrested for drunk driving dropped around the country. However, the number of intoxicated female motorists involved in fatal drunk driving accidents actually increased in 2008.
According to NHTSA records, the number of motorists aged between 16 and 20 years old killed in accidents involving drunk driving or motorcyclists, increased by 3.9 percent in 2006, compared to 2005.
In the 21 to 34 age group, the number of drunk driving fatalities increased .7 percent during the same period of time.
Stricter laws against drunk driving and the prospect of fines and suspensions have meant a drop in the number of fatalities caused by these preventable accidents. However drunk driving continues to account for a lion’s share of the annual fatalities in the country. For the past few years in a row, citizens driving under the influence has accounted for approximately 30 percent of the country’s annual highway traffic death toll. Every year, we lose an average of 11,000 people to intoxicated drivers.

Preventing drunk driving accidents is often just a matter of designating a sober driver who can take you home after a night of drinking. However, getting the designated driver to remain sober can be a challenge. Many cities in California now have designated driver services that, for a small fee, can pick you up from the venue, and drop you to your home. Services like these are becoming increasing popular in California, and DUI accident lawyers greatly recommend that persons who can’t stop the drinks, hire such services to prevent accidents. Even one intoxicated motorist kept off the streets every day, can be enough to make a difference to these accident numbers.

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The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated to the representation of personal injury victims. Please visit our website at
trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

Have you been charged with a DUI (Driving Under the Influence) while driving in California? Or is it a friend or a loved one facing the charge? If you, or anyone immediately close to you, has received a DUI in California, then there are a number of things which you need to be aware of in order to ensure that the situation is resolved in the best fashion possible.

First, you need to be aware that there are a variety of serious consequences associated with getting a DUI, and some of them can last for a long time. These consequences can often include fine, prison, probation, and even driving prohibitions.

The second thing that you need to be aware of is that the laws surrounding a DUI in California are both complex and difficult to understand, and that the slightest misstep within the system can make the associated penalties far worse than they need to be. Finding and hiring a lawyer who is experienced in California DUI law is absolutely essential to ensure that this process is as painless and straightforward for you as possible.

The specific penalties that can be rendered against you as a result of receiving a DUI in California are a $1,300 fine, up to three years of informal probation, 3-5 days of community service/sheriff work, compulsory attendance to a First Offender School, and a six month license suspension. At the discretion of a judge, a DUI-charged offender may even be required to stay in jail for 48 hours. However, there are additional difficulties involved in the DUI process.

Due to a variety of form complications between the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) and the California court system, it is very difficult to effectively reduce the severity of penalties affiliated with receiving a DUI. Broadly, what this means is that while having your DUI reduced to a “wet reckless” charge, the DMV does not provide the forms which will allow you to bypass some of their penalties. However, if you hire a lawyer, they will be able to work through this system and ensure that your penalties are reduced as much as possible.

Should you or your loved one receive a second DUI in the state of California, the penalties grow much more severe: a full two year loss of the California Driver’s License, a compulsory 18-month attendance in DUI school, three to five years of formal probation, fine as high as $2,800, and a mandatory jail time of 96 hours. A third DUI results in a similar scaling of penalties.

Regardless of whether you are looking at a trial date for your first or your fourth DUI, which can result in a felony DUI conviction, you should immediately begin looking for an attorney. Should you fail to represent yourselves effectively in court not having a lawyer, the repercussions can be quite severe and amount to the loss of driving capabilities. This loss can occur regardless of whether or not one’s livelihood is dependent upon one’s ability to drive, so make sure to seek out proper and effective representation for all matters relating to a DUI.

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Los Angeles DUI defense attorneys are faced with a new challenge in defending drunk driving due to new attempts by California police authorities to fight DUI. Police Departments throughout California are attempting to use social media and online services to make those who get arrested for DUI embarrassed. How do they propose doing it? Criminal Attorneys are informed that their client’s name and photo may be placed on social media sites such as facebook, myspace and LinkedIn.

Fighting DUI cases in California has become increasingly difficult for Drunk Driving Defense Attorneys. This is just another reason why DUI lawyers must take every drunk driving arrest, especially those that involve bodily injury more seriously.

Privacy advocates must work in conjunction with criminal attorneys to curb the overly enthusiastic efforts of Los Angeles Police Department to fight DUI by causing unnecessary shame and embarrassment, when other means of fighting DUI is readily available. Police Department defends its proposed action of placing mug shot of those who get arrested more than once for driving under the influence of alcohol on sites such as Facebook and Myspace, by arguing that such action “saves lives”. It is arguable, however, how causing shame and embarrassment by exposing such individuals to pubic view will save lives. To what extent could law enforcement authorities invade one’s privacy? Is this the beginning of the creation of a database of DUI convictions with their private information and photos available for everyone to see?

Are the authorities attempting to fight DUI cases by making DUI an equivalent of sexual predators whose name are readily available online? To propose that the photograph of everyone who gets arrested for Drunk Driving must be immediately place on social media sites clearly violates the constitutional rights of our private citizens. Criminal Defense Attorneys have long fought for our citizen’s rights to privacy and have played a major role in creating a balance between privacy rights of our citizens and the government’s right to protect the safety of the public. In the context of California Drunk Driving Laws, and for all intents and purposes in the whole United States, there should not be an assumption that everyone who gets arrested for DUI will in fact be convicted of the crime. Also, many times a conviction is the result of plea negotiations between criminal attorneys and prosecutors in DUI courts, where there is not convincing evidence of the arrestee’s guilt.

To cause such embarrassment to DUI arrestees by exposing them to ridicule and shame on social medial sites California Law Enforcement Authorities are clearly invading our citizen’s privacy rights, their right to be secure in their property and belongings, and the presumption of innocence until guilt is proven.

The presumption of innocence does not change for repeat DUI offenders. There is no question that drunk drivers in California are responsible for a large percentage of vehicle related deaths each year. However, defense attorneys argue that the constitutional rights of private citizens should not be abridged in order to curtail the interest of those who intend to drink and drive. We could not correct a wrong with another wrong. If we dont stop this, next thing you know, they will make the license plate of drunk drivers a different color so that everyone knows they have had a DUI, or they could make them place a red flag in their yard, and better yet write it on their forehead drunk driver!

Multiple Police Departments in California have pressed the issue of placing mug shots of DUI arrestee online. This is done in an increased push by law enforcement authorities and various non-profit organizations and anti DUI advocates who have lost loved ones in drunk driving accidents.

DUI Defense requires specialized Knowledge and skill. With the help of our trained attorneys who aggressively defend Drunk Driving charges, avoid jail time and license suspension. Get the most professional Drunk Driving defense in Los Angeles you deserve.

At the Law Offices of Tony M. Seyfi, criminal defense attorney, our goal is victory for our clients in defending DUI cases, and we are confident of our defense strategies. If you would like to discuss your DUI case, call us today for a FREE CONSULTATION and case analysis.

Law Offices of Tony M. Seyfi, Los Angeles, California. Call: 866-533-3363

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DUI is an acronym for Driving Under the Influence and is used by most of the states, including California and Florida for being lawfully impaired or intoxicated while driving a vehicle. DUI is also known as DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) in eight states, including New York and Texas.
The threshold level for legal intoxication is when a breath, blood or urine test shows a BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) of 0.08%. A motorist with BAC higher than 0.08% is called as a DWI while a DUI is applicable to the motorists with a BAC less than 0.08%
Each year, states are making very strict DUI laws and heftier drunk driving penalties. You could lose your driving license, be put in jail and penalized with huge fees. Simultaneously, you may experience raised car insurance rates and you could land up with a criminal condemnation on your record that will ultimately affect your life, family and work opportunities.
Driving while intoxicated (DWI) is a serious offense so if you or your close ones have been charged with driving drunk, the first thing you should do is to look for an experienced and skillful DWI attorney in your area. Make it sure that the lawyer is well aware of the DWI law in that particular state as different states have their own sets of DWI law.
Here are some key advices which we recommend you to do while facing the DWI charges:

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Whether you require an attorney for marijuana offenses, appeals, DWI/DWAI, traffic ticket offenses, criminal law or real estate advice, Hug Law Firm is one of the most reputed firms in Albany, New York. DWI Attorney Albany at Hug Law Firm, Albany can help you save your precious time, money, and a lot

Being caught by the police for driving under the influence can have severe consequences. Receiving a felony DUI for being a repeated offender, takes a little bit more thinking on your part on what you need to do to change your lifestyle, before someone gets hurt. To have yourself defended in the right way will have you contacting a felony DUI attorney that is well versed in the laws in California and can ensure that a fair trial takes place.

Having a quality attorney in your corner during this situation can be very instrumental in not only receiving a fair trial but also keeping the penalties and fines down to the minimum amount required by law. There are deals struck every day in the court systems when it comes to felony court cases and especially felony DUI cases. Your representation should have the opportunity to talk with the states attorney that is prosecuting you in the case on behalf of the people of the state of California.

This is who will be prosecuting you and the one that decides your fate in this matter. Most of the states attorneys acting under the assumption of the law and the people, have individuals come in front of them that are habitual repeat offenders. Many of these individuals who assessed situations like these are not lenient with felony DUI offenders. Nobody, wants to put someone who will continually have the potential to harm other people out on the road and streets of our peaceful nation. Using a felony DUI lawyer in California to offset some of these penalties and ensure that you will receive the best options available for the situation you are in. Now, this could mean pleading guilty to the charges in front of you. This sometimes allows felony DUI attorneys to strike a deal with the states attorney on your case. It also means that there will be a conviction on your record of this happening and will not be removed.

Contacting a felony DUI attorney right after you have been released or during the mandatory time that you have to spend in jail when this happens or if you have prior knowledge of the attorney you will be using, will be something that must be done immediately. This is to make sure that your felony DUI attorney has the right information from you as his is still somewhat fresh in your mind. Many individuals forget what exactly happened as more time passes.

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