California DUI Penalties: Three Strikes

Napa DUI Lawyers are always weary of new DUI legislation.  Read this article about a proposed law that will suspend a drivers license for life if you get three DUI convictions.

DUI CHECKPOINTS IN CALIFORNIA: What To Do

Napa DUI Lawyers always look forward to the days following a busy holiday due to the high amount of DUI Arrests. This is often time when the California Highway Patrol and local police conduct DUI sobriety checkpoints. Often times you can find this information on the Internet, newspaper or radio.

Napa DUI Checkpoint

So you have had a few drinks, not too many…not sure? You approach a DUI checkpoint and your heart starts to race. What do you do? Is there a way out? There are police everywhere. This is not a time to freak out. Your behavior is critical at this point.  It’s your behavior that will get you through the DUI checkpoint. Of course avoiding the DUI checkpoint is best.

Even unimpaired Napa drivers are subject to DUI sobriety tests. Do you want to take that chance even if you are not impaired?  In California, the police will be stopping vehicles according to a random mathematical formula decided in advance by police force management or other local jurisdictional authority to stop drivers and find Napa drunk driving.

The officer will be looking for clues that you are intoxicated. California’s legal limit is .08 (equal to or above .08 is enough for a dui arrest). These clues would be fumbling around for your driver license or registration.  These officers are trained to look drunk drivers in Napa County. Maybe you’re nervous, or acting suspicious as a person who was drunk driving or intoxicated would be. Do not fight or argue with the officer, remain calm and be sure to pay attention to what he or she is asking. Your Napa DUI defense attorney will want to know all the facts to keep the DUI charges to a minimum. You may be asked to take a sobriety test. This could include walking in a straight line, counting, and a Breathalyzer test. Each step testing to see if your impaired or not. Stops at Napa County DUI Checkpoints are just as severe as being stopped by a Napa police officer.

Here are a few guidelines you can use to get you through a California DUI Checkpoint.

The public should be aggressively informed of sobriety checkpoints with ample warning so drivers can avoid them completely.
Police presence should be obvious when approaching a checkpoint.
Drivers should be sufficiently warned of an upcoming checkpoint

Here are some tips to prepare for a Napa DUI Checkpoint:

1. Avoiding a Napa DUI Checkpoint is to be informed and find out where in Napa County a DUI checkpoint is planned. California DUI checkpoints must be posted but not detailed.
2. Know where you driver license and registration are, they will be asked for.
3. Stay calm
4. Keep conversation to a minimum. This is not a joke nor silly. Also, tell those who are passengers that they need to be quiet and not joke around. The driver is the one who will go to jail.
5. Sonoma County DUI Checkpoints are not complaint centers…keep it cool.
6. Give your information to the police officer when requested.
7. Resist offering too much information, this could be self-incriminating.
8. The police officer doesn’t need to know about your medical conditions where you may be taking drugs.
9. Do not let your passengers carry open containers of booze. Keep it out of the vehicle.

10.  Contact your Napa DUI Lawyer if you do get arrested.