Blog Posts - Drunk driving
What Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Level Constitutes a DUI in Pennsylvania?
Drunk driving is one of the most common criminal charges in Pennsylvania. To obtain a conviction in a drunk driving case, prosecutors must prove intoxication. They often use blood alcohol concentration (BAC) results—either obtained through a breath test or a blood test—in order to establish a defendant’s level of intoxication....
What is different about an underage DUI case?
Driving under the influence is a serious offense that comes with significant consequences for anyone. When it comes to underage individuals, though, the legal landscape is notably different. For parents helping their underage children navigate the complexities of a DUI charge, it is important to understand how this situation differs...
Financial costs of a DUI in Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, known for its rich history and diverse landscapes, also has stringent laws when it comes to driving under the influence. The Department of Transportation reported that 20% of all fatal traffic accidents are due to impaired driving. Beyond the obvious risks to safety, the financial consequences...
What should you do at a DUI checkpoint?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported fatal alcohol-related crashes have decreased in the 1980s due to various law enforcement efforts. One of those is the use of sobriety checkpoints. Encountering a DUI checkpoint may cause some apprehension among drivers. These checkpoints serve the purpose of deterring and identifying...
What can affect your blood alcohol content level?
It is a common assumption: One drink equals a certain rise in blood alcohol content. However, this oversimplifies a complex process influenced by many variables. By understanding these factors, you might better appreciate the nuances and unpredictability of BAC levels, making you think twice before making assumptions about your or...
Can you be charged with a DUI even if your vehicle is off?
A DUI charge can lead to significant consequences, including potential driver’s license loss, fines, and even jail time. Most people understand that driving while intoxicated can result in a DUI charge, but it might surprise them to learn that they can also face DUI charges even if their vehicle is...
What to know about DUI checkpoints in Pennsylvania
Police utilize DUI checkpoints, also called sobriety checkpoints, as a way of identifying those driving under the influence. While these checkpoints are legal in Pennsylvania, police must follow certain rules in conducting them. Knowing how checkpoints work gives you a better idea of your rights and helps you avoid confusion...
What happens to my CDL if I am convicted of DUI?
Commercial driver licensees (CDL) are individuals who possess a special driver’s license that permits them to operate commercial vehicles such as semi-trucks, school buses and passenger buses. A driver must pass extra training to obtain this licensure. Due to this specialized training in Pennsylvania, CDL drivers have a higher standard...
What you should know about your BAC
Every 45 minutes, someone dies in a drunk driving accident despite the strict drinking and driving laws in the United States. In fact, if you are driving, your blood alcohol concentration, or BAC, can be no higher than 0.08 g/dL of blood. However, you may also receive skewed test results,...
Are DUIs a misdemeanor or felony in Pennsylvania?
If you are facing DUI charges, make it a point to familiarize yourself with the distinction between a misdemeanor and a felony conviction. Felony DUI charges tend to carry higher fines as well as mandatory jail time. In Pennsylvania, most DUI charges are a misdemeanor. However, there are a few...
What happens if an underage person gets a DUI?
A drink or two may end in a trip to jail if the police pull you over. When you are under the legal drinking age of 21, you may find yourself facing stiffer penalties than your older counterparts. The law established a special set of DUI laws that apply to...
What are the penalties for DUIs in Pennsylvania?
Plenty of people have found themselves in a situation in which they felt fine to drive, only to find that their blood alcohol content is over the legal limit after stopping for the police. If this happened to you, you should know the potential consequences of driving under the influence...
How accurate are field sobriety tests?
Pennsylvania law enforcement officers are vigilant about making the city streets and highways safer. To this end, they are often on the lookout for signs of impaired driving. While these signs might include reckless driving, swerving, lane drifting or failure to recognize safety signs, there are only a few true...
Soft drug decriminalization does not extend to driving
You have probably heard “Do not drink and drive,” but what about “Do not smoke and drive?” As an increasing number of states relax laws on recreational soft drugs like cannabis, this question is becoming more relevant. This is because drugged driving is leading to more DUI charges. In Pennsylvania,...
DUI penalties get tougher after the first conviction
For someone with no criminal history, a conviction for drinking and driving in Pennsylvania does two things. One, it can get your driver’s license suspended, force you to pay a fine, and potentially send you to jail. Two, it will set you up to experience an even tougher sentence if...
Can I turn away from a DUI checkpoint?
With the holiday season just around the corner, police departments across Pennsylvania will increase their patrols for drunk drivers. Many will have DUI checkpoints over the next several weeks, hoping to stop drunk drivers before they cause an accident and hurt someone else. That’s because the U.S. National Institute on...
Common myths regarding breath tests
Police officers in Pennsylvania commonly use handheld devices to measure the breath-alcohol content of motorists suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol. A reading of 0.08 or more represents probable cause to arrest the driver. The collection of the blood and breath readings used as evidence in court happens...
Methods used by police officers to evaluate DUI suspects
Society has an interest in keeping intoxicated drivers off of the roads of Pennsylvania. As a result, law enforcement officers follow specific guidelines for identifying DUI suspects and then conducting field sobriety tests. Reasons to initiate a traffic stop Patrol officers watch for traffic violations that may indicate intoxicated drivers....
When a breathalyzer test results in a DUI
Blood alcohol content is the basic standard of measuring someone’s level of intoxication despite how inebriated the individual really is. The less someone weighs, the less it takes for a person to hit the legal limit of 0.08. This can make it a shock for someone who learns this after...
High-speed chase in Pennsylvania leads to DUI charge
A Pennsylvania man faces a raft of criminal charges including counts of receiving stolen property, eluding law enforcement and driving under the influence of alcohol after allegedly led police on a high-speed chase through Centre County on the evening of April 28. The 46-year-old Allentown resident is being held at...
Pennsylvania woman likely to be acquitted on DUI charge
A panel of Pennsylvania appeals judges have ruled that police officers cannot initiate traffic stops based only on a sense that something is amiss. The decision was handed down in a case involving a 25-year-old Mechanicsburg woman who was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol following a traffic...
Woman to challenge PA zero tolerance DUI standard
Lawmakers in Pennsylvania approved the use of marijuana for medical use in 2016, and more than 250,000 people in the state have since registered to use the drug to treat conditions ranging from chronic pain to anxiety. However, every one of Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana patients commits a crime each time...
Understanding why you’ve been charged with DUI
It can be all too easy to find yourself facing DUI charges, and the consequences of a conviction can be significant. Even for a first offense, you can lose your driving privileges, which can substantially damage your ability to work, go to school or care for your family. This can...
Drinking and driving falsehoods lead to loaded lore
Police officers arrested you for drinking and driving. You’ve heard plenty of stories about your rights and rules in these situations, but knowing fact from fiction could change how you approach your case. Pennsylvania state troopers arrest tens of thousands of people suspected of driving under the influence (DUI) every...