A drunk driving charge or arrest can be extremely damaging to one’s professional and personal reputation. If you have been charged with a DWI, you need to reach out to a seasoned New Jersey DWI attorney who can help. With years of experience, we are committed to defending our clients and protecting their rights at every step of the way.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over a million people across the country were arrested for driving under the influence in 2016. That same year, about 28 percent of all traffic-related deaths in the country involved alcohol-impaired driving. While states have tried to implement many different anti-DWI measures over the years, it is hard to know which ones have truly been effective.
In New Jersey, the basic offense of driving while intoxicated (DWI) occurs when a person operates a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 or above. It is important to note that a person can be charged with a DWI if they are under the influence of a drug that impairs their ability to drive safely. This can be a legal or illegal drug.
A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reveals that strengthening state alcohol policies by a mere 10 percent can reduce the odds of an alcohol-impaired crash fatality by that same amount. For example, a 1 percent increase in restrictive polities led to a 1 percent drop in the likelihood that a crash was alcohol-related. Across all states, a 10 percent increase in the restrictiveness of policies would translate to about 800 fewer deaths each year.
One potential policy would be lowering the BAC limit to 0.05 percent or less to match most other developed nations in the world. Another potential policy would be alcohol taxes and limits on the number of places in communities that could sell alcohol. Measures such as sobriety checkpoints and enforcement of legal blood-alcohol limits could also be helpful.
If you have been charged with a DWI in New Jersey, you may be feeling hopeless, but you don’t have to feel this way. A charge or an arrest does not mean you are guilty. There may be a number of defenses that are applicable in your case. We can examine the circumstances of your stop and subsequent arrest to ensure that none of your rights was violated. For example, the officer must have had probable cause to make the initial traffic stop. If the officer who pulled you over lacked probable cause, your charges could be reduced or dropped altogether. Another potential defense could be related to the administration or accuracy of the portable breathalyzer test. Did the officer administer the test correctly? Were there intervening factors, such as vomiting or indigestion? In addition, we could look into whether the breath test device was calibrated properly.
If you or someone close to you has been charged with drunk driving, you need a reliable New Jersey DWI attorney on your side. Whether it is your first DWI, second DWI, or subsequent DWI charge, we can help. You can rest assured that we can meticulously examine your case and help you understand your options moving forward. For more details, call us today at 877-450-8301 or contact us online.
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