We have discussed this before, but it bears repeating for those who have forgotten or simply ignored our repeated warnings; that drinking dulls ones senses, not only in terms of ability to operate a motor vehicle, but also to recognize other, potentially dangerous conditions on the road or even on one’s own vehicle. As New Jersey drunken driving defense attorneys, we understand all too well how human nature can work against certain people. Adding a few drinks to the mix is usually not going to improve matters.
With the economy still causing many individuals difficulty, it is easy to understand that cutting corners and ignoring expensive maintenance on one’s home, vehicle or other property can seem to be a necessity simply for survival. But there are unintended consequences to many of these actions. We’ve written about individuals who have driven their vehicle while obviously intoxicated — either through the consumption of alcohol or the taking of prescription medications — but the results of such activities are hardly beneficial.
Take the man who struck another vehicle early one morning a couple years ago while impaired by alcohol. Not only was the DWI-related accident a serious blunder on the part of the hapless motorist, but the vehicle which was hit belonged to a local police chief in Bergen County. Walking into a courtroom to defend oneself against a charge of driving under the influence and causing an accident that happened to involve a police department vehicle as well as two police officers, well that is what we would definitely call major unintended consequences. To defend an individual under such circumstances would not be an enviable task under the best of conditions.
But remembering that helpful advice is often ignored, we should not be surprised to see numerous instances where a driver who may or may not have been legally drink while driving on Garden State roadways has gotten into trouble with the law. Being impaired by alcohol, prescription meds or even illicit drugs, such as cocaine, meth or marijuana can only complicate a DWI or DUI case when other factors are at play.
Reportedly the result of a previous accident, we would like to point out the unexpected results of a driver who was pulled over not long ago when police noticed a serious problem with the man’s vehicle over in Union County. According to news reports, New Providence, NJ, officers came upon a car being driven along a stretch of Springfield Ave. apparently following citizen complaints of a vehicle that was dragging its axle along the roadway.
The car initially had been seen by concerned citizens on Union Ave., after which a call was received by the local police department. Based on police reports, the car’s axle was apparently damaged in a previous accident. But the 50-year-old driver’s problems were only made worse when patrolmen determined that the driver was likely intoxicated at the time of the traffic stop.
In addition to being cited for operating an unsafe vehicle, the New Providence resident was also charged with reckless driving and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. There was no mention of a second vehicle in relation to the news about an accident, therefore one could infer that it was a single-vehicle crash that damaged only the accused’s vehicle. Nevertheless, this could certainly be a situation where an experienced DWI defense attorney might be able to provide valuable representation to the defendant when he steps into a courtroom to defend himself against those charges.
Dragging axle leads to DWI charges by New Providence Police, NJ.com, December 18, 2012