DUI, driving under the influence of alcohol, this is a serious crime across the nation and you will need a DUI lawyer in St. Paul if the offense took place in MN. DUI is another name for drunk driving and this condition results in thousands of needless deaths and injuries and thousands of dollars in damages to property, and it’s all avoidable. When a person is intoxicated the skills that are mandatory for safe and sane driving become impaired and good judgment, deft co-ordination, focus and split second reaction time are slowed. This crime is not a crime of any one people or any one social strata, it is a crime in many countries of the world and as many rich as poor are found guilty.
You will often hear the terms DUI as well as DWI. If you are apprehended and charged with either then a DUI lawyer in St. Paul will become a necessity. Being charged with a DUI offense may or may not require the inclusion of a specific blood alcohol level, it only means the prosecutor of the case has to show that the driver was impaired by the influence of alcohol. DWI on the other hand means driving while Intoxicated and intoxication means driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 in MN.
The legal consequences of driving under the influence can be both criminal and administrative. Often times a DUI lawyer in St. Paul can mitigate the penalties imposed, the penalties can be imprisonment of 90 days to 4 years, fines ranging from $1,000 up to $14,000, license revocation, impounding of license plates and impounding and forfeiture of the car. In some states a repeat offender not only has the penalties increased but a device the measures the blood-alcohol content of the driver is installed in the car. If the BAC is elevated the car cannot be started.
A DUI lawyer in St. Paul will need to determine which category a client falls into before a defense is mounted. Although “drunk is drunk” and there is no getting away from that, the drivers can be seen as normal, high-risk or alcoholic. A normal driver will have a social drink and underestimate the effect of the drink on their driving ability. A normal drinker will often have a lower BAC but still be impaired and become an accident risk. A high-risk driver is a frequent drinker who abuses alcohol and an alcoholic is a person who sees alcohol as a part of their life. Regardless of the “classification”, alcohol is a depressant and it slows down the nervous system.
Because the nervous system is slowed, a DUI lawyer in St. Paul will tell you that this means that the brain is not functioning normally, the ability to process information is impaired as is hand-eye coordination and motor skills.
