The NHTSA is posting billboards reminding revelers to avoid driving drunk this Halloween season, say DUI defense lawyers in Gainesville.
Halloween isn’t just for princess- and superhero-costumed kids. Spooky themed parties are just as popular among adults as trick-or-treating is among kids. And of course, the wicked brew of choice at these parties is alcohol. If you plan to enjoy a few drinks at a Halloween party, be sure it doesn’t turn into a legal horror story.
All across the nation, law enforcement officers are on the ready more than most any other night of the year, looking to bust drunk drivers. In fact, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is posting clear warnings with eerily designed black and orange billboards sending a foreboding message: “They’ll see you before you see them.”
The billboards serve as a heads-up to revelers that you can almost assuredly expect hidden cop cars and drunk driving checkpoints in your town – and with good reason. Impaired drivers are involved in nearly 60 percent of all Halloween highway fatalities nationwide, the NHTSA says.
While celebrating Halloween, it’s best to designate a non-drinking driver to ensure your ride home doesn’t involve flashing blue lights. If you plan to drive and enjoy a drink or two, keep tabs on your alcohol intake and take time to sober up before hitting the road – even if it means sleeping at a friend’s home for the night.
If you do get hit with a DUI, don’t be tricked out of your constitutional rights. Know that police cannot pull you over unless they have a valid and legal reason for doing so, and that you are not required to take a field sobriety test. We strongly advise clients to refuse field sobriety exercises and Breathalyzer tests and to call an experienced DUI defense attorney as soon as possible.
Even if no accident occurred and no one was physically injured, the results of a DUI can be frightening to say the least. You could lose your job, your freedom, your drivers’ license, your reputation and your ability to find new work – not to mention the financial costs involved. DUI defense attorneys with Gainesville’s Law Offices of Edwards & Jones Criminal Defense can represent you at your DMV hearing and in your DUI criminal case, assuring that your rights are protected and that you are able to get back to a productive and peaceful life. Call us toll-free at (352) 329-3632.