The NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) has recommended that states begin cutting their threshold for drunk driving by almost half in an effort to reduce highway deaths as a result of DUI. The NTSB has cited a report that states more than 100 countries have already reduced the legal drinking limit to .05% from .08% that attributed to approximately fifty percent less traffic deaths as a result of drunk driving over a span of 10 years. Women weighing less than 120 pounds can reach .05% after just one drink, while men weighing less than 160 can reach .05% after two drinks.

Of the 30,000 people killed on U.S. highways each year, one third of those deaths are a result of drunk driving. NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said, “Our goal is to get to zero deaths because each alcohol-impaired death is preventable. Alcohol-impaired deaths are not accidents, they are crimes. They can and should be prevented. The tools exist. What is needed is the will“. Jonathan Adkins, an official with the Governors Highway Safety Association, said that getting the blood alcohol content (BAC) threshold lowered to .08% was difficult and that the prospect of lowering it again would most likely be met with strong resistance. Adkins also said that “The focus in the states is on high (blood alcohol content) offenders as well as repeat offenders. We expect industry will also be very vocal about keeping the limit at .08“.

The NTSB has also pushed the auto industry and safety administration to increase their research into a technology in all cars that could detect whether a driver has an elevated BAC without the use of ignition interlock devices, which require the driver to blow into a machine before the vehicle will start. The board has also recommended passive alcohol devices that can be used in flashlights or in small cell phone like devices that would alert an officer if the driver in close proximity to them is intoxicated. Those technologies may be years away from implementation but the NTSB believes the use of those devices would help to reduce the number of drunk drivers on the road. Since the legal alcohol threshold was reduced to .08% in 1982, the number of drunk driving deaths has fallen from 18,000 to 10,000.

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled Texas DUI attorney for legal assistance.

Twenty-three Chicago teenagers may never forget their prom night after the man driving their party bus was arrested for DUI following a terrifying drive through town. According to some of the teenagers, 54 year-old Richard Madison was over half an hour late to pick them up and was unable to stay on the road during their drive. One of the students, Kelsey Dano, said “I had a feeling he was drunk when we first went into the ditch. He hopped over a median and cut off 3 cars and then…he took us to the wrong hotel, he took us to the Hyatt hotel instead of Abbington Place so we had 5 more miles to go“.

Madison, the party bus driver, said that he was not drunk that night and blamed mechanical problems for the erratic driving. A spokesperson for Limos Alive, the company that Madison drives for, said that there were no mechanical problems with the party bus after an inspection and that Madison has been fired since the incident took place. Dano also said that when Madison got off of the bus he was stumbling and had bloodshot eyes. Police found that Madison had a blood alcohol content (BAC) level of .22%, almost triple the legal limit. Madison was arrested for misdemeanor charges of DUI and reckless conduct, although he still believes he is innocent. In a statement, Madison said, “You know, if I was guilty, I would still be in jail. That’s my thought. I would not be at home right now“.

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled Illinois DUI attorney for legal assistance.

Sporting News reported that Titus Young, a former football receiver for the Detroit Lions, was arrested on suspicion of DUI and then arrested again the same day for burglary when trying to take his car from a tow yard. Police officials stopped Young after he was spotted driving his Ford Mustang in California on the wrong lane, towards oncoming traffic, and making an illegal left turn.  Police records state that he was arrested on suspicion of DUI, cited and released. However, a couple of hours later, police officials received a phone call from someone claiming that a man was jumping the fence of a tow company. As soon as police officials arrived at the scene, they discovered that it was Young trying to climb the fence and get his vehicle out. He was arrested again and charged with suspicion of burglary. It was noted that the Detroit Lions drafted Young out of Boise State in 2011, but released him in February after a drop in productivity and disputes with teammates. Young had very poor conduct and even sucker-punched a teammate. In addition, he was also playing for the St. Louis Rams but was taken off the team in less than two weeks for bad behavior.

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled California DUI attorney for legal assistance.

AZ Central reported that Cher Lyn, a drunk driver in Sedona, Arizona, crashed into Fire District Station #3, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage. Lyn, 53 years old, was driving her 2004 Jeep Liberty when she collided into the bay door of the fire station and hit the engine. According to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, Lyn caused serious damage to the fire engine and station. A statement was released to the public stating the following: “The crash caused injury to the driver, major damage to the Jeep Liberty, a bay door, and significant damage to a Sedona Fire District Engine Number E532.” Lyn received some injuries and was taken to the nearest hospital for medical attention. In addition, she was arrested for suspicion of DWI and criminal charges, and taken to the Camp Verde Detention Center.  It was noted that to repair all the damages for the fire station and the vehicle will be very costly. The case is still undergoing investigation and Lyn’s blood alcohol test results have not yet been released.

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled Arizona DWI attorney for legal assistance.

The New Bern Sun Journal reported that Lee Bettis, the mayor from New Bern, North Carolina, was arrested and charged with DWI and failure to maintain lane control Monday morning. Bettis, 48 years old, was stopped near Havelock and Beaufort. He was chased by the Havelock police after they responded to a phone call made by a witness reporting that a car was driving erratically on N.C. 101. According to court documents, Bettis was arrested around 8 a.m. and released that same day. It was noted that Bettis registered 0 percent on the Breathalyzer. However, medical personnel also took a blood sample from him for drug testing. It was determined that the results for that are not yet available. Bettis be will be summoned for a court hearing on July 18.

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled North Carolina DWI attorney for legal assistance

Repeat DUI offender Timothy Morrow was sentenced to 13 years in prison after being convicted for his eighth DUI offense on May 1, 2013. Morrow has a long history of DUI arrests, receiving his first DUI when he was only 17 and has been cited 9 times since for DUI, public intoxication and boating while intoxicated. The repeat DUI offender has been sent to jail twice already, once in 1995 for a DUI conviction and again in 1996 for driving with a revoked license.

Prosecutor Ben Dillon had originally asked the judge for a 15-year prison sentence, saying Morrow was a “absolute public safety risk” and called him an “grim reaper“. Morrow’s own defense attorney stated that Morrow had already been on an intense probation for 2 years prior to the incident and requested a 6 year sentence instead. The repeat DUI offender was initially unprepared to make a statement, however, just before the judge handed down the sentence, Morrow told the court he was a victim of child abuse and that police weren’t taking his reports seriously. In his statement, Morrow also said “I plead with the court. I have a 12-year-old son that I want to see grow up. I made a mistake and I apologize“.

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled Illinois DUI attorney for legal assistance.

KSAT San Antonio reported that a student from The University of Texas at San Antonio received a DWI and was arrested after he crashed his car into a utility pole and knocked out power to part of a northwest San Antonio neighborhood. Although the student’s name was not disclosed, it was only stated that he is 21 years old. According to police records, the student claimed that he was studying for his finals at UTSA and was rushing home around 2:40 a.m. Thursday when he fell asleep in the 6300 block of Babcock Road near Prue Road. San Antonio police officials stated that when he crashed into the pole, he took out three transformers. The car rolled over a couple of times until it stopped in the middle of the road. It was noted that the student was immediately arrested for DWI after failing a field sobriety test. The CPS Energy team immediately reported to the scene and repaired the damaged transformers to restore power by early in the morning.

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled Texas DWI attorney for legal assistance.