3 things to avoid when facing a DWI charge
Being charged with driving while impaired (DWI) can cost you. In addition to potentially paying fines, going to prison and having an ignition interlock device in all your vehicles, you may also have limited housing, employment and education opportunities. Therefore,...
Can you get a DWI when you’re under the limit?
The legal limit for driving after consuming alcohol is generally a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08%. There are some cases in which drivers will have lower limits. For instance, commercial drivers typically have lower limits, as do drivers who are under 21 years...
4 common myths about driving under the influence
Driving under the influence of alcohol or a substance puts the safety of the public in jeopardy. While many laws prohibit drinking under the influence, and many tests evaluate people's blood alcohol content (BAC), that doesn't stop many people from thinking they can...
Understanding North Carolina’s ignition interlock requirements
If a North Carolina resident is convicted of DUI/DWI for the second or subsequent time or even for the first time if they’re found to have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .15% or higher, they most likely won’t be able to drive legally for a time without an...
Are DUI checkpoints legal?
Fall is here and that means football games, haunted hayrides and harvest festival season are underway. This means that the police will be setting up sobriety checkpoints throughout the country. Their aim is to identify impaired drivers in order to keep the roadways...
What are blood alcohol tests and field sobriety tests?
Imagine this – you were out drinking with friends and had a few light beers. You didn’t think you were that drunk and, against your friend's better judgment, decided to drive home. On your way home, an officer saw you drifting and speeding past a red light, this...
Understanding the concept of probable cause for a DWI stop
Operating a motor vehicle while drunk is an offense punishable by fines, suspension of your driver’s license and jail time among other penalties. However, law enforcement cannot just stop and charged you for drunk driving without cause. Law enforcement must have...
Tips for talking to the police during a traffic stop
Getting pulled over by the police can be nerve-racking. People often feel stressed, especially if they're worried about getting a DUI or something of this nature. But you need to be very careful when dealing with the police. Not only is there an inherent level of...
Once you get a night’s sleep, are you sober enough to drive?
One assumption that people often make about driving after they've been drinking is that it is safe to drive the following morning. Once they've gone to sleep for the night, they assume they have moved beyond the stage where they would get a DWI, so they don't even...
Reasonable suspicion in DWI cases
Across North Carolina, law enforcement plays a crucial role in detecting and preventing criminal activity. However, they cannot act in an arbitrary manner. There is a constant balancing act between protecting the individual liberties of citizens and taking proactive...