The Basics-
- 21 and over, it is legal to drink.
- Valid license, legal to drive.
- Illegal - to be IMPAIRED and driving.
Impaired
does not mean you are drunk, smashed, hammered, snockered, or sloshed.
A police officer ONLY needs to have probable cause (i.e. an opinion)
that your normal faculties are impaired by alcohol.
In
other words, if you are stopped, and there is an odor of alcohol on
your breath, then there is a good chance you will be arrested for DUI.
That is the bottom line. You need to know this so you can decide if it
is worth taking the risk. (By the way, it's not worth the risk.)
Here's
a typical scenario, you leave the restaurant/club/ bar/house after
having one drink. While driving you reach for your phone, by doing so,
you momentarily swerve in the lane. A cop sees you swerve, pulls you
over, smells alcohol on your breath... The DUI process begins.
You
may think you can smooth talk your way out of an arrest or you may
think you will ace the field sobriety exercises. But you would be
wrong. It's late at night. You're tired, scared, and nervous.
Additionally, you may have that bum knee or you're wearing high heels.
Even if you do well on the exercises and you are polite to the officer,
the bottom line is this : You driving + Odor of alcohol = You will
almost certainly be arrested for DUI.
Don't Drink then Drive. Don't be the "designated driver" and just have "one". If you do, you will be putting yourself in jeopardy.
Instead, get a cab, have a true designated driver, leave your car (it will be fine), call a friend, plan ahead.
Be Well! Be Safe! Be Smart! Thank you for your continued support.
