This New Year’s Eve, many people in Tennessee will be drinking champagne or other alcoholic beverages. If you decide to drive after your New Year’s toast, though, you might get pulled over for a DUI. Law enforcement officers are especially alert around the holidays while they search the roads for drivers who may have partied too much.
Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has once again launched its annual messaging campaign aimed at drivers who might be drinking around the holidays. The NHTSA puts out public service announcements about the dangers of drunk driving between Dec. 18 and Jan. 1. At the same time, local police departments around the country promise to be extra vigilant while looking for drunk and drugged drivers.
The stats of drunk driving
Data from 2018 shows that 10,511 car accident deaths, or about one-third of all car accident deaths that year, were said to involve a drunk driver. A full 285 of those deaths occurred over the holiday season. However, the number of annual drunk driving fatalities has declined by one-third over the last 30 years.
Planning ahead for New Year’s Eve
With police officers on high alert this holiday season, it’s important to plan ahead. Anyone could get pulled over and charged for a DUI, and the testing methods that police use are often flawed. If you plan on drinking, you may want to consider using a taxi service or booking a hotel near the party. Planning ahead while you’re sober could prevent a future accident or a DUI charge.
What to do if you’re charged for DUI
If have already been charged for DUI, you may want to talk to a lawyer about your options. Every testing method used to gather DUI evidence has its flaws, so a lawyer may be able to have some of the evidence that was used in your case reevaluated. If the evidence is found to be faulty, it may be dismissed.
