Georgia residents might feel confident that one or two drinks will not impair their ability to safely operate a vehicle or boat. But with extra patrols on the roads and waters this Fourth of July holiday, it would be wise not to take any chances of getting pulled over for drunk driving or stopped for boating under the influence of alcohol. DUI charges can result in serious consequences even when DUI charges never result in a conviction.
Police officers and troopers have already been increasing patrols over the past week in order to crackdown on drunk driving this summer. In Georgia, it is illegal to operate a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher and it is illegal to operate a boat with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.1 or higher.
When police do suspect that a driver is drunk, they will conduct a traffic stop and may ask the driver to take field sobriety tests and breath tests.
Although increased patrols are meant to keep our roads safe, especially during busy holidays, there are times when officers make mistakes during traffic stops. During a traffic stop, police might not have established probable cause before arresting an individual for driving drunk. In some cases, police might fail to administer field sobriety tests or breath tests correctly. Under these circumstances, DUI charges could be filed inaccurately or inappropriately.
In order to avoid a DUI conviction or other legal penalties after a DUI arrest, folks may want to consider working with an experienced and aggressive attorney. An attorney will be able investigate a traffic stop and arrest in order to determine whether or not charges should have been filed against a driver in the first place.
Source: CBS Atlanta, “Holiday Crackdown on Drunk Driving,” Jean Ross, June 22, 2012