California DUI Arrests Down this Labor Day
Labor Day 2009 yielded fewer California DUI arrests…and fewer DUI fatalities…compared to last year’s totals. According to the California Highway Patrol, there were about half as many DUI-related fatalities as there were during the 2008 Labor Day weekend, and arrests fell by approximately 11%.
What’s responsible for this trend? It could be the recent increased publicity about drunk driving, the California Highway Patrol’s holiday “crackdown”, the economy, high gas prices driving down traffic in general, or just the simple fact that people are becoming more fearful of increasing California DUI penalties.
Since January 2009, if you’re on probation for driving under the influence, you now face an automatic driver’s license suspension if caught driving with any measurable amount of alcohol in your system.
Similarly, if you’re convicted of a second “wet reckless” (a common DUI reduction), you must now attend a nine-month DUI school…a requirement that didn’t exist prior to this year.
Wrapping up 2009’s changes in California DUI penalties is the fact that the courts will now consider forcing you to install an ignition interlock device (a breathalyzer instrument that prevents your car from starting unless you provide an alcohol-free breath sample) even on a first offense if your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is .15% -- something that wasn’t previously considered unless your BAC was at least.20%.
Regardless of why the numbers are decreasing, it’s a good thing…the dangers involved with drinking and driving are obvious. That said, a California DUI remains a charge that people are routinely falsely accused of and wrongly arrested for.
Source report: http://www.chp.ca.gov/
