by

In the U.S., the rate of DUI arrests for women has rose 28.8% from 1998 to 2007. The Transportation Department also reports that during the same period, the rate of DUI arrests for men has dropped 7.5%. Even though DUI arrests for women have increased, men still get the majority of the DUI’s. In 2007, 626,371 men got a DUI compared to 162,493 women.

One explanation for the rise in women getting caught driving under the influence is that more women are working and need the stress release that alcohol provides. Another explanation is that police are cracking down on driving under the influence and not letting women get off with just a warning anymore.

Nevertheless, whether you live in Irvine, Santa Ana or Westminster, if you get charged with a DUI, you will need an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you with your legal matters.

Continue reading →

by

Last week, Olympic gold medal winner Michael Phelps was pulled over in Baltimore, Maryland for running a stop sign. After an investigation, officers realized he was driving under the influence. He was charged with a DUI, driving while impaired by alcohol, violation of a license restriction and failure to obey a traffic control device. If he gets convicted of these charges, he could face up to 1 year in jail, have to pay a steep fee and have his license suspended.

Phelps is a role model to so many children. It is disappointing that an amazing athlete like Phelps is letting down his fans. Besides affecting his fans, Phelps may lose endorsements and his wholesome image. Knowing this, Phelps made a public apology and said he regretting drinking and driving. Luckily, no one was hurt.

Whether you live in Irvine, Fullerton or Santa Ana, if you are charged with a DUI, a DUI defense attorney can help you fight your charges and help lower your sentence.

Continue reading →

by

In March of 2009, Donte Stallworth got into his car after a night of drinking. He struck and killed a man and was charged with DUI manslaughter. He was only sentenced to 30 days in jail and served just 24 of them. This short sentence sparked a lot of controversy and anger. The NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell decided to further punish Stallworth because of his violation of the league substance abuse rules by suspending him for the full 2009 season, without pay.

Besides killing someone and having a DUI manslaughter on his criminal record, Stallworth’s career is also affected. It is hard to think so far in advance when you are drinking, but a DUI affects all parts of your life. If you get a DUI, an experienced DUI defense attorney can help you get through the legal system.

Continue reading →

by

About three weeks, three armed bounty hunters went to find a man who had skipped bail for a misdemeanor DUI arrest. The bounty hunters arrived at the suspect’s house in Sun Valley and there was a scuffle. The suspect apparently tried to grab one of the bounty hunter’s guns so another bounty hunter pulled out his gun and shot the suspect in the leg.

Anytime a person is contacted by law enforcement, they should comply with the requests and be as cooperative as possible. Resisting arrest or fighting will just make it harder on you once you get to court.

Once you are arrested and charged with a DUI, it is important that you pay all necessary court fees and attend all court appointments. If not, you will face repercussions. Once you get a DUI, an experienced California DUI defense attorney may be able to assist you in lowering court fees or your sentence.

Continue reading →

by

On Friday night, Costa Mesa police set up a DUI checkpoint at Newport Boulevard and 22nd Street. Police screened about 212 of the 647 cars that drove through and investigated about 25 possible DUI incidents. Police arrested 3 people for driving under the influence and 1 person for suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale. Police also cited nine drivers for not having their license and 10 for vehicle violations. The next checkpoint in the area will be on August 26.

DUI checkpoints are effective because police stop all people in one busy area to see if someone has been drinking. Once you get close to the checkpoint, any turning around is prohibited. Checkpoints have many standards they have to follow. For example, the pattern of stopping cars must be neutral and mathematical (ex- every other car, every fourth car…etc). Additionally, the stop can not be overly burdensome or intrusive. Lastly, there must be a sign in the area warning drivers about the check and the area must be well lit and safely done to minimize fear for drivers.

Whether you get a DUI in Anaheim, Fullerton or Irvine, you will need an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you in the legal process.

Continue reading →

by

After rolling through a stop sign in Coto de Caza on Saturday, police tried to stop Matt Keough. Keough did not stop however, and drove all the way to his house before police stopped him. Once there, police thought he was drunk so they tested his blood alcohol level. His blood alcohol level turned out to be 3 times the legal limit. He was arrested and taken to jail. In 2008, he was arrested for a probation violation of a DUI arrest in 2005.

Matt Keough is a former professional baseball player and reality star in the show “Real Housewives of Orange County.” Although the show is more about his ex-wife Jeana Keough, he was seen on the show a few times in the first few seasons. After suffering head injuries from baseball, Keough suffered from memory and mood problems which drove him to alcohol.

With his blood alcohol level being three times over the legal limit, Keough will need an experienced Orange County DUI defense attorney on his side.

Continue reading →

by

Before even getting pulled over for a DUI, the police officer is already observing your driving. If you are swerving in and out of lanes, speeding or driving too slow, those are obvious signs of intoxication. The officer will then pull you over and observe you and your behaviors. If you smell like alcohol, have bloodshot eyes or slur your speech, those are signs of intoxication as well. If the officer believes you may be intoxicated, he will ask you to get out of the car and participate in field sobriety tests.

Field Sobriety tests are tests given to alleged drunk drivers by officers to test driver sobriety. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has standardized three tests that should be given to all drivers suspected of being drunk. First, there is the horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN). The officer puts a pen or something in front of your face and asks you to follow the object with just your eyes. Intoxicated people have a hard time doing this. Instead of smooth tracing of the eyes, the eyes will jerk and have a difficulty following the object.

Another field sobriety test is the walk and turn test which tests divided attention. In this test, the officer asks you to walk in a straight line with one foot following close behind the other. After taking about nine steps, you are asked to turn around using just one foot and walk the other way. Intoxicated people do not have balance and cannot follow these instructions.

The last standardized field sobriety test is the one leg stand that also tests divided attention. The suspect is asked to stand and one foot and count. An intoxicated person will not have good balance or will not count properly.

Officers may give other tests to test sobriety, most likely if the suspect cannot take the standardized field sobriety tests. Whether you live in Fullerton, Santa Ana or Mission Viejo, if you are pulled over for a DUI, you need an experienced DUI attorney to assist you.

Continue reading →

by

From 1,132 DUI deaths in 2007 to 1,029 in 2008, the DUI death rate since its high point in 2005, has dropped 21%. Alcohol impaired deaths make up the biggest category of total traffic fatalities, but even total fatalities have been down. The decrease in DUI deaths are thought to be the result of education from MADD and other safety advocates as well as enforcement through DUI checkpoints. Children are being taught from a young age about the dangers of drinking and driving and are remembering the message.

In the study, motorcycle deaths were found to be increasing, however. Now local governments are trying to target motorcycle drivers and teach them road safety.

Even though DUI deaths have gone down, the government says it will stop education and enforcement programs only when the number has gone down to 0.

I think it is great that the rate of DUI deaths has gone down in California. I feel that the government and safety advocates have been properly spreading the message of safe driving and driver responsibility. Whether you live in Orange County, Los Angeles County or Riverside County, if you have been charged with a DUI, an experienced California defense attorney will help you get through the legal process.

Continue reading →

by

A Caltrans program that started in 2002, allowed families of DUI victims to purchase a billboard in California and write the name of the victim and a message. Most people would write something along the lines of “Don’t Drink and Drive.” An assemblywoman now wants to expand this program to include victims of traffic accidents not involving drugs and alcohol. Critics of the bill say that there are already too many billboards that are very distracting for drivers. They worry that since so many people are killed on California freeways due to traffic accidents, there would be hundreds of billboards which means more work for Caltrans and more distractions for drivers.

The DUI victim’s program has been said to be successful in reducing the number of DUI fatalities. A study found that in the 16 counties where memorial signs were erected, alcohol related deaths decreased in the three years after the sign, by about 79 people.

I think billboards memorializing DUI victims are a great idea that can reduce DUI fatalities. On the other hand though, I do think that billboards are distracting to drivers. I think billboards should just be limited to DUI victims (not traffic victims) and the billboards should have an informative message or statistic to inform drivers of the dangers of drinking and driving.

Whether you live in Santa Ana, Newport Beach or Garden Grove, if you are charged with a DUI, you will need an experienced criminal defense attorney on your side.

Continue reading →

by

On July 25, after 10 hours of drinking, Jose Maria Olmos was very drunk. Nevertheless, he decided to drive Juan Garcia and Jose Guadalupe Vilchis home. Olmos was driving between 60-70 mph in a 30 mile zone when suddenly, his car flipped over. All three men were injured but Garcia had severe head trauma and died at the hospital a few hours later. When police arrived, Olmos has bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and smelled like alcohol. He was charged with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. If he is convicted of the crime, he will face a possible prison sentence of 11 years.

Olmos will need an experienced DUI defense attorney to look at his blood alcohol results to see if he was actually intoxicated. The attorney will also have to see if there were any other causes for the car accident (ie- bad road conditions, negligence of another driver). Lastly, the defense attorney will work to lower the charges and the sentence.

Regardless whether you live in Orange County, Los Angeles County or Riverside County, vehicular manslaughter caused by intoxication is a serious crime.

Continue reading →