What I Learned About Drunk Driving: The 2006 Roundup

Well, I’m sure many of you have already started the countdown to 2007 - anticipating all the fun you are going to have tomorrow night! As I look back to when I started this blog only six months ago, I realize just how much I’ve learned....

For instance, I never knew that you could get a DUI while navigating a boat or while riding a horse. I also learned that companies are thinking of ways to help combat the issue of drunk driving. Toyota and Nissan think that a breathalyzer in cars could help deter people from drinking and driving. Also, the new LG4100 has a built-in breathalyzer to let you know when you’ve been drinking too much. What will they think up next? Will people become more concerned with the issue of drunk driving and be motivated to purchase this type of technology?

For those of you who have been involved in a drunk driving incident this year, let’s hope you have learned from your mistake! Repeat drunk driving offences is a big problem. I talked about how people with mental illnesses are more prone to drink and drive again and again. It’s time that we as a society take the initiative and reach out to help these people.

I hope that you have learned as much as I have! Please let me know if there is a topic that you would like to see here and I will do my best to research and report it here for you...

One thing that I definitely have learned is that we’re all human and we all make mistakes. It’s not my place to judge you since I, too, have been guilty of drinking and driving. Although I was never caught, looking back I realize just how irresponsible and careless I was.

By chance you need a good San Diego DUI attorney, don’t hesitate to call Michael Richmond!

It's a Weekend of Partying in San Diego...

Well, today we kick off the start of the partying that will happen all weekend here in San Diego. Of course with all the partying there will be tons of drinking. This is the weekend when a great deal of alcohol will be consumed...

This news article from KFMB Station News 8 says that some of the big hotels in town are offering package deals with discounted room rates to encourage people to spend the night and not drink and drive. Over at the Marriott in the Gaslamp Quarter there are still rooms available which cost $165 and include dinner, champagne, and valet parking.

As for me, well, most likely I will be at home watching the apple drop in Times Square or in Las Vegas celebrating with hubby - haven’t decided yet. Either way, I will probably just have a glass of wine or champagne and call it a night ;)

For those of you out there who plan to party-hardy, please, please, please do not drink and drive. I’m sure there will be many checkpoints staged throughout the county. Is a night of hard core drinking worth the headache of a DUI conviction?

By chance you get caught in the unfortunate circumstance of being charged with a DUI in San Diego, contact a San Diego DUI lawyer as soon as possible!!

Be safe!!

Do Illegal Aliens Cause the Most Drinking and Driving Deaths?

I came across this blog that talks about how North Carolina has a high percentage of drunk drivers that are Hispanic. According to the report published, “Hispanic drivers were involved in 76,000 of the drunken-driving arrests made last year even though they make up only 10 percent of the population..” William Gheen, the president of Americans for Legal Immigration said this in a statement:

“It’s clear across the country – there’s a direct connection between drinking and driving deaths and the illegal alien community. (We need to) crack down on illegal aliens in this state and do everything we can to prevent these preventable deaths.”

I’m not sure where Gheen got his statistics to come to this conclusion, but in my own readings of the news involving drunk driving here in San Diego, the subject of illegal aliens never came up. I came across this article at the North County Times website regarding a drunk driving incident. The drunk driver’s name is Morales Sixto and because of his name many people just assume he’s an illegal alien - although it wasn’t reported in the article. There are many interesting comments and debate surrounding this story…

Is it fair to blame the government for not imposing stricter laws or enforcement at the borders? Would it really be that much better if there were less illegal aliens in the U.S.? Would there indeed be less deaths?

What are your thoughts?

Illegal alien or not, if you have been charged for a DUI in San Diego, contact an exclusive San Diego DUI defense lawyer as soon as possible!

**Photo Credit: Colorado Alliance For Immigration Reform

San Diego DUI Holiday Stats and More Thoughts on Checkpoints

For some 92 people in the county of San Diego it wasn’t such a merry holiday.
According to a report at SignOnSanDiego.com, there were 92 DUI-related arrests during the holiday weekend. I don’t mean to be negative, but it’s not much of a difference from last year in which 98 people were arrested. A good year would be to have no arrests and no deaths. With that said, I will say that any improvement is a good improvement, right?

I was reading this report published last week at 10news.com where it said:

“The San Diego Police Department plans to set up a DUI checkpoint Wednesday evening somewhere within the city limits as part of the county's ‘Operation Full Throttle.’”

Now, the keyword here is “checkpoint”. There was no “s” at the end of that word. I’ve stated here before that in order for this type of operation to be effective, there needs to be more than one checkpoint. One of most popular searches on the web is “sobriety checkpoints in San Diego” Obviously people want to know where these checkpoints are so that they can avoid them. Wouldn’t it be better to have several checkpoints in prominent areas of the county where they would be hard to avoid?

It will be interesting to read the statistics after the New Year’s….

For more information about San Diego DUI sobriety tests, visit this San Diego DUI lawyer’s website!

The True Cost of a DUI

MSN Money published an article that talks about the consequences and costs of a DUI (driving under the influence). According to the article, a typical DUI costs an average of $10,000 after you figure in fines, attorney fees, bail, and insurance.

Of course, nobody thinks about these things when they’re out partying and having fun. Most people think that it will “never happen to me”, right? Perhaps they really do feel like they are ok to drive after having a few drinks. I know I've done it before. However, knowing what I know now, I never would have gotten behind the wheel.

According to the article, here are some of the costs associated with drunk driving:

1) Bail can be anywhere from $150 - $2,500 (If you’re Paris Hilton, this is chump change)
2) Towing cost: $100 - $1,200
3) Your insurance rate can go up. Some insurance companies will even drop you if you’ve been arrested for a DUI.
4) Legal fees can cost anywhere from $2,000 - $25,000. It can be on the higher side if you want to fight the DUI charge.
5) Fines and court costs vary from state to state
6) An alcohol evaluation costs money!
7) Alcohol education and treatment
8) License reinstatement fees

So, there you have it. Now will you think twice about getting behind the wheel after drinking?

If you need a DUI lawyer in San Diego, call Michael Richmond. He can help minimize all those fees!

San Diego DUI News Stories and Sobriety Checkpoints

SignOnSanDiego.com published an article a couple days ago that talks about a checkpoint in North County of San Diego. It was conducted on a Friday and Saturday night at 300 S. Twin Oaks Valley Road in San Marcos and out of 1,172 vehicles that passed through the checkpoint, there were 28 citations issued for different offenses. Eight people were arrested for driving under the influence or drug possession.

It seems that there are more checkpoints in the North County vs. the south part of San Diego. Another news report talks about another checkpoint in San Marcos a couple weeks ago. This time it was 125 S. Rancho Santa Fe Road. However, I did come across another news story about a checkpoint down in Imperial Beach.

If sobriety checkpoints are going to be effective, they need to be staged throughout the county, don’t you think? They also need to conduct them every single day, not just on weekends and holidays. People don’t just drink on the weekends, right?

Not that I’m actually for checkpoints. I still have yet to see any statistics that shows that this method of combating drunk driving is actually working.

If you ever get caught “under the influence” during a checkpoint, make sure to call a San Diego DUI lawyer to help you with your case...

Top Five Holiday Behaviors That Can Get You Fired

Gregg Ward, of Orlando-Ward & Associates, Inc. wrote an article that targets the top five holiday behaviors that could get you fired:

1. SPEAKING TRUTH UNDER THE INFLUENCE: Drinking so much alcohol that you proclaim – at the top of your lungs to all that will listen - what you really think of your company’s management;
2. PUBLIC LASCIVIOUSNESS. “Hitting on” your subordinates, your colleagues and/or your boss, their spouses or significant others in view of other partygoers;
3. SNEAKING OFF. Heading for a “private place” with your boss’ spouse or significant other; someone is bound to notice and spill the beans;
4. PUBLIC NUDITY. Revealing or barely covering your “unmentionables” while dancing;
5. DUI. Drinking, driving and getting arrested for DUI and/or getting into an auto accident.

As the holidays are around the corner, there will be those holiday parties where many people will be more inclined to down a few shots or drink one too many. Let this serve as a warning to those of you who want to get into the “spirit” of the season (no pun intended). Let’s have a safe and joyful holiday - not one filled with grief and sadness because of a careless decision to get into a car after drinking!

However, if you find yourself in a situation where you need a San Diego DUI attorney, contact one as soon as possible...

Are the San Diego Chargers Good Role Models?

Maybe it’s just me, but I think any celebrity has a responsibility to be a good role model to the kids who look up to them. I just finished reading an article about San Diego Chargers’ Cletis Gordon who was arrested recently for drunk driving. And he’s not the only one with the reputation of drunk driving. You may recall a previous DUI incident a few months back with Steve Foley.

Some kid out there may be a Steve Foley or Cletis Gordon fan who hears about what happened and thinks, Well, they did it...I can do it too! It’s not a big deal, right? Apparently, the Chargers aren’t immune from run-ins with law. Boltz 4 Eva calls them a “Bunch of Criminals” I know I’ve digressed a little from the main topic here, but it would be nice to see a clean and sober San Diego Chargers team finally win a Superbowl! Let’s face it, all this negative energy does affect how a person plays on the field and interacts with his teammates.

Anyways, if you don’t know by now, a DUI is a pretty serious offense and not to be taken lightly. Seek the help of an exclusive San Diego DUI lawyer if you find yourself in this type of situation!