| Drunk driving offenses are taken very seriously in the | | | | Knowing Your Rights |
| United States. Police officers are continually on the | | | | While an officer can arrest you and charge you with a |
| lookout for drivers who are behaving erratically and | | | | DUI even if your BAC is under.08, this does not mean |
| may be drunk. To help determine a driver's level of | | | | that you will automatically be convicted. Every individual |
| drunkenness, the police have developed field sobriety | | | | has a right to a lawyer and to a fair trial. If you believe |
| tests. Breathalyzer devices have also been developed | | | | that you have been wrongly charged, you can contest |
| to get an immediate blood alcohol content (BAC) | | | | the DUI in court. If the police arrested you on a hunch |
| estimate from the driver. Since none of these tests | | | | with no substantial evidence to back up the arrest, the |
| are completely accurate, a large part of a DUI arrest | | | | charge may be dropped. A DUI defense attorney can |
| depends on the police officer's own judgment of your | | | | help to protect your rights under the law and will |
| intoxication level. | | | | question the legitimacy of any evidence brought |
| Under.08 Can Still Result in an Arrest | | | | against you. |
| By law, the legal BAC limit for anyone age 21 or over | | | | The police must follow certain procedures and provide |
| is.08 BAC. This percentage was decided by the | | | | appropriate evidence in order to legally charge you for |
| federal government, which can revoke states' federal | | | | a crime. If you believe that you have been unjustly |
| highway funding if they do not comply with a.08 BAC | | | | charged or that evidence against you was improperly |
| policy. However, this does not restrict officers from | | | | obtained, consider contacting a DUI defense lawyer |
| arresting individuals who test under.08 BAC. If an | | | | immediately to assist with your defense. |
| officer believes that you were driving impaired, you | | | | |
| can be arrested regardless of what your breathalyzer | | | | For More Information |
| test reads. Since alcohol affects different people in | | | | To learn more about drunk driving charges and |
| different ways, someone under.08 BAC may actually | | | | preparing a legal defense, please visit the website of |
| be less fit to drive than someone with a higher BAC | | | | experienced Rhode Island DUI lawyer James |
| reading. For this reason, officers often arrest anyone | | | | Powderly today. |
| with a BAC reading of.05 or above. | | | | |