Michigan Criminal Lawyers Blog
March and April are months that are typically filled with fun events in Michigan, many of which involve drinking. Between the St. Patrick’s holiday, spring break, and March Madness, no doubt plenty of people will be arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Police typically conduct extra patrols during this time span, which includes the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. This year, efforts have been coordinated to crack down on drunk driving so that the number of accidents and serious injuries may be reduced from last year. The OHSP (Office of Highway Safety Planning) has coordinated the effort, which includes extra patrols in many West Michigan counties.
As Michigan DUI defense attorneys are keenly aware, this time of year brings about a substantial increase in the number of accidents, injuries, and drunk driving arrests. Hopefully 2014 will end on a better note than 2013, when March Madness brought about the arrest of 2,271 individuals during the NCAA tournament. During the March/early April time period, 671 individual were arrested for “super drunk” or high BAC (blood alcohol content) offenses, which means the amount of alcohol in their systems was .17 or higher, more than twice the state’s .08 legal limit.
Spring brings about a renewed energy; people begin enjoying the warmer weather and all of the activities going on. It is a fun and relaxing time, however it is also a time of year when drunk driving incidents are on the increase. In Michigan, a first DUI offense can leave you facing up to 93 days in jail, driver’s license suspension, fines, and more if convicted. However, a “super drunk” driving conviction will leave you facing criminal penalties which are effectively double those of a regular DUI offense, including up to 180 days in jail, fines of up to $700, the requirement to have an ignition interlock device installed on your vehicle, and more.
A conviction for drunk driving can not only leave you facing jail time, it can impact your career, reputation, and freedom to drive anywhere and any time you like. If you are one of the unlucky ones arrested for DUI or a high BAC offense during March Madness, spring break, and the NCAA tournament, contact a highly skilled Michigan DUI defense attorney at once.