Most people have heard of Minnesota’s implied consent law, something that says if you are arrested and an officer has probable cause to suspect that you were operating a vehicle while intoxicated, you have already provided your consent to submit to some kind of chemical test to determine your level of impairment. In Minnesota, police use three methods of chemical testing to determine intoxication: blood, breath or urine. What are the differences between these tests and what choice do you have when asked to submit? Keep reading to find out more. Read More...

If you’ve been arrested for drunk driving in Minnesota then you understand what it’s like to contend with the loss of driving privileges. This can be very difficult to manage given most people’s busy schedules and important commitments. Taking children to school, getting to work, even handling simple daily errands like running to the grocery store all become impossible tasks without a driver’s license. Read More...

We’ve discussed the issue of how drunk driving can impact your employment prospects before. Specifically, we noted that a DWI conviction can surface during the job search process, often because of applications that require disclosure of previous arrests or convictions. A corollary to the question of how a DWI conviction can impact your employment prospects involves discussion over whether you have to report the DWI conviction to a current employer. To find out more, keep reading. Read More...

The Ohio Supreme Court handed down an important ruling last week when it said that those defendants charged with drunk driving have the right to challenge the accuracy of the individual breath-testing machine used in their case. Experts say the decision could lead to thousands of challenges from those defendants who entered not guilty pleas and were denied similar evidence in the past. Read More...

Several states throughout the country have mandated the use of ignition interlock devices for individuals convicted of drunk driving. In Minnesota, for example, all DWI offenders with a BAC of .16 or higher must install an ignition interlock device in their vehicle – regardless of whether the driver is a first time offender or a repeat offender. Read More...

It’s easy to assume that everyone is aware of the dangers of drunk driving, and that all drivers understand that drinking and driving is considered a crime with serious penalties. You may know better than to drive home drunk and risk getting a DWI or even getting into a hit and run accident. However, at one point or another, you may be faced with a situation where a friend or family member is impaired and insistent on getting behind the wheel. Here are some tips on how you can stop them: Read More...

If you’ve been arrested or even convicted of impaired driving in Minnesota you are likely ready to move on with your life and hope that others are too. Many people mistakenly believe that drunk driving convictions simply fall off their driving records after a certain period of time. Sadly, this is not the case, at least not here in Minnesota. To find out more about how long DUIs can stay on your driving record, keep reading.  Read More...

Despite the countless warnings and education and public awareness programs, harsher penalties, and various efforts by law enforcement agencies across the United States, people continue to get behind the wheel of their vehicles while impaired by alcohol. Drivers do not realize or fully understand the grave consequences of their actions and the impact it has on both their lives and the lives of others. Read More...

 In what many are hoping is a sign of things to come, yet another court in yet another state issued a strong opinion banning the use of warrantless blood tests in drunk driving cases. The latest ruling comes from the Arizona Court of Appeals and says that prosecutors across the state will no longer be allowed to use the results from the warrantless tests as evidence. Read More...

Many people wonder about how many drinks a person can consume before becoming drunk or what types of alcohol get people drunk faster. There is no real answer to these questions, however, because varying amounts of alcohol affect people differently. A person taking medication, for example, could be charged with a DWI after having only one drink. Some people become legally drunk with very little alcohol, while physical characteristics such as gender, weight, and body fat percentage can also be vital factors in an individual’s impairment. Read More...