DUI is the most frequently charged crime in suburban Bucks County, according to an article in the Bucks County Courier Times. But the entire state of Pennsylvania, which set a record last year for DUI arrests with nearly 17,000, also should serve as a sobering reminder to stay safe on the roads this summer.
One of the issues discussed in the article is the seemingly massive gulf between having one or two drinks before driving and becoming heavily intoxicated. Pennsylvania DUI attorney Michael Saile Jr. said drivers should simply drink moderately if they must drink:
"I would skip that martini. I would not have more than two glasses of red wine with dinner."
Alcohol is alcohol, of course, and red wine can impair drives just like vodka; only not as quickly. But according to Newtown Township cop Tim Keegan said most drunk drivers he has dealt with throughout his career are double the legal limit:
"There are a few [offenders] who you get who are just over the limit. But that's not the norm. The average is about 0.16 [percent]."
The legal limit blood-alcohol concentration in Pennsylvania is 0.08 percent. At double the legal limit, Keegan said, "you've lost a lot of your physical attributes" and cannot adequately control a motor vehicle.
Dr. Gary Lage, a toxicologist often hired by Pa. DUI lawyers as an expert witness, said a 175-pound man would have to consume roughly eight 12-ounce beers in three hours to reach a 0.16 percent BAC. And anyone that intoxicated should know he or she has no business driving.
Still, many motorists believe they are in better condition to drive than their BAC level may indicate, including a 22-year-old man arrested in Bucks County for a DUI. He had a BAC of 0.16 percent but said he "didn't feel out of control," while admitting he was "inebriated."
Word to the wise: "buzzed" and "inebriated" are just other words for "intoxicated" and "unfit to drive."
Related Resources:
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Drunk Driving: Elements of the Offense (FindLaw)
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Holiday Driving: Prevent A Holiday DUI (FindLaw's Injured Blog)
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Call a Pa DUI Lawyer (FindLaw)
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