New Year’s – DUI Checkpoints

Local law enforcement agencies will be out in force, utilizing sobriety checkpoints to deter drunk driving Tuesday night for New Year’s Eve. Police say to be prepared for DUI checkpoints.

Updates:  The upcoming New Year’s crackdown on drunken driving may include a new test for many people who are pulled over — an oral swab that checks for marijuana, cocaine and other drugs.

Northern California DUI Checkpoints:
San Francisco: undisclosed location – 12/31/13 – 1/1/14 – 7pm to 1am
San Rafael & Novato: undisclosed location – 12/31/13 – 1/1/14 – 7pm to 1am
San Anselmo: undisclosed location – 12/31/13 – 1/1/14 – 7pm to 1am
Petaluma & Sonoma: undisclosed location – 12/31/13 – 1/1/14 – 7pm to 1am
Modesto: undisclosed location – 12/31/13 – 1/1/14 – 7pm to 1am
San Jose: undisclosed location – 12/31/13 – 1/1/14 – 7pm to 1am

Be sure to check back for updates:
http://www.mrcheckpoint.com/ or ps://www.facebook.com/California.DUI.Checkpoints

“Three people died and 54 sustained injuries in vehicle crashes during last year’s holiday season. So far in 2013, 96 people have died in traffic crashes compared to 106 last year.”

Be sure guests:

• Designate a sober driver
• Take a taxi
• Call a sober friend or family member
• Find a sober friend to walk home with you, or refrain from walking all together.
• If someone is about to drive while impaired, take their keys and help them make safe travel arrangements where they are going
• Ask to stay at the host’s home for the night
• Do not sleep in your parked vehicle – it is possible to get a DUI without even driving

Consequences of Drunk Driving:
Driving while impaired is a crime. It risks your safety and the safety of those around you. Drunk driving is not worth causing a car accident, severe injury, or even death

There are substantial legal and financial costs of drunk driving. Violators often face:

• Jail time.
• Loss of driver’s license.
• Higher insurance rates.
• Other unanticipated expenses, such as attorney fees, court costs, car towing and repairs, and lost wages due to time off from work.

Top Ten List of questions if you are pulled over for suspicion of DUI.

• Have your license and registration ready to hand to police if pulled over. You don’t want to fumble around looking for those documents in front of the police when you are pulled over.
• Do not answer any police questions. Politely refuse to answer questions about where you have been and whether you have had anything to drink.
• If you are asked to exit the car you must comply. Be very careful in the way you exit the car – if you stumble this will be a clue for officers that could lead to your arrest.
• Refuse to take the field sobriety tests. Don’t recite the alphabet. Don’t follow the pen light with your eyes. Politely refuse. These tests are very difficult to take under ideal conditions. On a side road in the middle of the night they are much harder for anyone to take – regardless of whether or not you have been drinking.
• Don’t question the officer. Just politely refuse to answer questions and to take the tests that are designed to make you fail.
• If you are taken to the station and asked whether you would like to make a phone call – you should make it.
• If you are taken to the station and asked whether you would like a witness – you should request one and try to get someone to the station to view your condition.
• We can’t give you advice on whether or not to blow into the intoxilizer at the station. If you refuse to blow you will automatically lose your license for a year and there’s no way to even try to get a temporary permit for at least six months.
• Remember not to speak at the station without an attorney present. Always be polite but be firm in refusing to answer questions (other than your name etc.).
• Always be nice! Being a jerk will always hurt your case.

Please, don’t drink and drive. The Morales Law Firm wishes you a happy and safe New Year!

P.S. The AAA’s Tipsy Tow Program offers a free tow for drinking drivers in Northern California from 6 pm on most major holidays (read: popular times to get wasted) until 6 am the next morning, in Northern California, Nevada and Utah. And you don’t even have to be a AAA member. For Tipsy Tow, call (800) 222-4357 (AAA-HELP) and tell the operator, “I need a Tipsy Tow” for a free tow of up to 10 miles. The service is restricted to a one-way ride for the driver and his or her vehicle to the driver’s home. 

(New Year’s Eve: 6 pm December 31st – 6 am January 1st)

If you have any questions regarding a DUI case in California, feel free to contact my office and we will set up a FREE consultation (415) 552-1215. 

Christopher Morales