This past Monday was Labor Day, meaning that many workers throughout the U.S. were given a three-day weekend. Three-day weekends can be an excellent way to rest and recuperate, but they can also be a time that encourages drinking and rowdy partying. When individuals have an extra day before they have to go back to work, they tend to "party" or drink excessively.
After drinking, these offenders often head home intoxicated while behind the wheel. Various states kept tab on their Labor Day DUI arrests, and posted the statistics on news sites to warn individuals about the dangers of a Labor Day DUI. Research proves that high-visibility enforcement like well-publicized Labor Day DUI checkpoints can reduce drink driving fatalities by almost 20%.
Because of this, many states issued saturation patrols or set up DUI checkpoints all over the place during the Labor Day weekend. In some states the tactics were more effective than in other locations. IN Texas, the Texas Department of Transportation created a campaign that essentially warned individuals that if they were caught drinking and driving they faced the potential of going to jail. In 2012, the Texas DOT reports that 19 people died in alcohol-related traffic accidents. In 2011, eight people died in crashes of this nature.
Texas publicized the fact that a DWI arrest and conviction can result in up to $17,000 worth of fines and fees when the defendant includes the costs of vehicle towing, impoundment, bail, and attorney's fees or probation fees. In Arizona, the police departments even dispatched DUI testing trucks which held registered nurses who could issue blood tests on the spot. These vans also had the technology to process breath tests. Arizona also prepared by commissioning taxi cabs to wait at the checkpoint to take offenders to their homes after they were cited. In the Phoenix area alone, 375 individuals were cited for drunk driving.
In Tennessee this Labor Day, the DOT used mandatory blood tests to determine if individuals were drunk. Locals were warned that whether or not they are intoxicated, if pulled over all drivers will need to submit to a blood test. Breathalyzers can often yield inaccurate results, whereas blood tests have a better advantage when it comes to measuring the actual blood-alcohol content in the body. Also, Milwaukee yielded 28 arrests during the enhanced Labor Day enforcement.
In Modesto, California, the Modesto Bee reports that there were no DUI fatal accidents or major DUI-related traffic, but the authorities were still able to arrest 126 people during their Labor Day period. For many, including college students, high schoolers, and even teachers, Labor Day is a bit of a last hurrah. People that are about to go back to school know that this is the last recognized holiday until Thanksgiving, which is weeks away.
In San Diego, news stations reported that there were 65 DUI arrests and three deaths over the weekend. This was actually a decrease from previous years, but is still sobering. The CHP issued statistics showing that there were 1,213 arrests made by CHP officers throughout California, and there were 49 fatalities over the weekend in connection with a DUI case.
If you were arrested for a DUI in your county this past weekend, then you need a professional attorney to come to your aid. By using our directory, you can locate an attorney nearest you today! You will want a professional there to help you with your case and bring evidence to prove that you were falsely accused or don't' deserve the sentences that you have been given.