Many people enjoy drinking alcohol, feel they need to drive, and also want to avoid DWI charges. For instance, someone may go out for drinks with friends after a long week at work. But if they drove their car to the bar or restaurant, they may not want to leave it...
A drunk driving charge has serious legal consequences that can impact people for a long time. In Minnesota, one of the penalties for getting convicted is the required installation of an ignition interlock device (IID). But who needs to install one? Understanding the...
Tackling impaired driving is a top priority for law enforcement. Every year, thousands of people are injured and some are killed due to drunk driving accidents. This is why the police conduct traffic stops -- or at least it’s one reason the police should conduct...
Most people will tell you that they know they shouldn’t drink and drive. But they may not mean that as literally as it sounds. Many people will be completely fine with getting in the car after having a glass of wine with dinner or a beer while they watch a football...
Many people think about alcohol when they hear about impaired driving, but it’s also possible to be impaired by drugs. Illegal drugs, prescription medications and over-the-counter medications can all cause impairment. Being charged with drugged driving is a bit...
Anyone can be arrested on drunk driving charges. They could be 16 and just a few weeks out from getting a license, or they could be in their 80s with an entire lifetime of driving experience. DWI laws and restrictions apply to everyone. However, the statistics do...
In Minnesota, around one-third of all traffic deaths each year involve alcohol. The court system has several tools available to try to reduce this number. One of those is an ignition interlock, which is a device that checks a driver’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC)...
A person who police officers stop for the suspicion of drunk driving may be asked to take a field sobriety test. While there are many types of tests that an officer can conduct, there are only three that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration endorses....
Reasonable suspicion is a legal standard between a mere hunch and probable cause. Law enforcement officers must have a belief, based on specific and articulable facts, that a person may be engaged in criminal activity, such as drunk driving. Understanding reasonable...
While most people associate a DWI with driving while intoxicated by alcohol, the acronym actually stands for “driving while impaired” under Minnesota law. That means impaired by alcohol or drugs (legal or not). In fact, the number of arrests for drugged driving in...
