Every time you step behind the wheel of a vehicle you take up a major responsibility.
You buckle up your seatbelt to keep yourself safe as you move from point A to point B. You always take your car to the repair shop year after year to make sure your brakes are in order. A car is a complex piece of machinery that needs to be carefully looked after to ensure it doesn’t end up turning a good day into a bad day…but sometimes even your best preparation comes up short. Drunk driving, distracted driving and road rage are just a few factors that get in the way of a peaceful driving experience in the United States.
When you find yourself on the wrong end of a vehicle, criminal attorneys and DWI lawyers are available to help.
Drunk Driving
One of the most deadly encounters you can face on the open road is a drunk driver. Even a little alcohol in a driver’s system can slow down their reaction time and seriously put others at risk for a collision. Drunk driving, whether it’s a DWI or DUI, has since expanded to include driving under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs or prescription medication. Drivers under the age of 21 account for over 10% of all drug or alcohol-related deaths to date.
Distracted Driving
Another hazard you can encounter while driving to work is the distracted driver. This is even more insidious than drunk driving because all that’s needed for a distracted driving case is a lapse in attention. This can include attempting to change the radio dial, drink coffee or talk to someone in the back seat while driving a car. Despite boasting similar crime rates, the United States’ probation rate is nearly 400% higher than most European countries.
Road Rage
Drunk driving can be caused by neglect. Distracted driving only take a split second to cause a crash. Road rage is another deadly consequence on the road that is still seeing hundreds of incidents recorded every year. This term is used to describe a driver that attempts to cut off, ram or harass another driver while on the road, leading to a confrontation, crash or both. While a DWI under New York State Law constitutes operating a vehicle while boasting a BAC of 0.08% or higher, a BAC of 0.18% or higher is an Aggravated DWI (or A-DWI).
Legal Consequences
Should you suspect drunk or distracted driving in your car crash, reaching out to criminal attorneys is the first step necessary to figure out the legal consequences. From 1980 to 2014 the amount of people on probation in the country rose from one million to nearly four million. Back in 2017 there were nearly 450,000 arrests in the New York State alone, totaling over 142,000 felonies and nearly 307,000 misdemeanors. The only way to ensure a viable legal conclusion to your case is to find a professional well-versed in criminal law.
Hiring Criminal Attorneys
Whether it’s a traffic violation or an incident of road rage witnessed by several bystanders, criminal attorneys are your first line of defense during a difficult period. Criminal attorneys see hundreds of cases landing on their desk year in and year out, ranging from personal injury claims to distracted driving cases. Driving while under the influence of alcohol is such a vast field it’s in your best interest to keep DWI lawyers on hand as you navigate your case. Leandra’s Law, for example, states that any alcohol related offenses committed with a child are classified as class E felonies.
The last thing you need right now is more doubt. Visit your local law firm today and let criminal attorneys handle the rest.