Minnesota DWI laws dictate that an officer must first have a reasonable suspicion of any criminal activity in order to merit a traffic stop. A hunch of criminal activity, for example, will not hold up in court. Before determining whether or not the DWI stop met the standard for reasonable suspicion, the court will first examine the quality and quantity of available information available to the officer at the time the stop was made. Common traffic offenses used to justify a traffic stop include reckless driving, speeding, failing to signal, weaving within a traffic lane, and crossing a centerline. Read More...

In the United States, driving while impaired or DWI is an extremely serious and dangerous problem as approximately four million adults drive drunk every year. Every single day, nearly 30 individuals die in motor vehicle crashes involving a driver impaired by alcohol – or roughly one death every 51 minutes. A total of 10,322 individuals were killed in 2012 due to alcohol-impaired accidents, accounting for 31 percent of all traffic-related fatalities in the country. Read More...

Is it possible for a DWI breathalyzer to have incorrect results? Is it possible for a breathalyzer test to say you were driving under the influence, even if you were completely sober? Unfortunately, the answer to both questions is yes. Read More...

We recently covered the Ohio Supreme Court case that resulted in a demand that the state Department of Health begin turning over past test results from the Intoxilyzer 8000 machines used by law enforcement agencies across the state. At the time, the Department claimed that it would be financially, technologically and practically impossible to gather and produce such records. However, in only a few weeks the Department acknowledged that it has found a way to gather the records and will begin responding to requests from defense attorneys by December 1^st. Read More...

Most people in the US have gotten the message on how dangerous it can be to drink and drive thanks to effective law enforcement and increased public awareness, but the same cannot be said about people being aware of the dangers of drugged driving. Read More...

A man from New Jersey recently lost an appeal over his 2011 drunk driving conviction. The man’s defense revolved around a commonly used technicality in New Jersey, an argument that was ultimately rejected by the court. The decision invalidated the popular defense tactic, which means New Jersey drunk driving cases will have one less basis for fighting charges going forward. Read More...

Those drivers in Oklahoma who have run into trouble with the law now have yet more penalties to worry about. That’s because the Oklahoma legislature just passed a new measure that grants greater power to prosecutors seeking to punish those charged with DWI. Read More...

Driving while impaired is considered a serious crime, and state laws impose harsh penalties and punishments against both first-time and repeat offenders. Unfortunately, few drivers stop to think about the long-term consequences of their actions before opting to get behind the wheel while drunk. Read More...

A work permit in Minnesota, also referred to as a limited license, is a driver’s license with conditions for those individuals whose licenses have been suspended or revoked due to a DWI or DUI conviction or implied consent violation. Read More...

An individual convicted of a Minnesota DWI may possibly be charged with what the court refers to as a penalty assessment. A penalty assessment is an amount that is added to base fines on a DWI charge, and differs from the jail time or monetary fine charged on an infraction, misdemeanor, or felony offense. A penalty assessment can often be a hefty amount, and can considerably increase the amount of monetary fees that must be paid.  Read More...