Drunk drivers beware! Those who feel they can “get by” driving after drinking alcohol should take a tip from some of the new advertisements put out by the Commonwealth.
As the holiday season fades into our rearview mirrors, we return to streets of ice, roads of varying repair and some questionable drivers. Most of the parties are over. This by no means means that no one is partying anymore.
And driving.
Recently, new advertisements from the Commonwealth have taken and interesting tact. Law enforcement realized that people know that to drive “drunk “ is a huge risk. However, it seems to be human nature for someone who is perhaps “slightly intoxicated“ to misunderstand. Such a person might assume that, because they are neither stumbling around incoherently or vomiting out the nights imbibement, that they are safe to drive.
Think about it. How many times have you heard people say something like, “I’m not drunk. I’m just a little buzzed.”
How many times have you heard yourself say it?
The new ads to which I refer tackle the misconception that driving while “just a little buzzed, is “ok”
It’s not ok.
- Attorney Sam’s Take On ”Buzzed Driving” And Other Distorted Thinking
Between my days as a prosecutor and my over over 20 years as a defense attorney, I have handled a great number of drunk driving cases. As common as this crime is, there are still misconceptions about it. This new ad campaign takes one of those misconceptions on.
Some folks think that they have to be falling down drunk in order to be intoxicated under the meaning of the OUI laws. They would be wrong. It really does not take all that much to hit the magic number to show intoxication on a breathalyzer. In fact, the breathalyzer itself is often misunderstood.