holiday dui

Thanksgiving is one of America’s most cherished holidays, but it’s also one of the deadliest. This time of year marks an extremely busy travel period, and more people on the road means more accidents overall – especially drunk driving accidents, according to Corso Law Group.

“Most people assume New Year’s Eve is the most dangerous time of the year for drunk driving accidents, but that’s not true,” said Christopher Corso, owner and founder of Corso Law Group. “Thanksgiving is deadlier due to a significant amount of drunk driving crashes that occur over the holiday weekend.”

Drunk driving accidents increase by 30 percent during the four-day period spanning Thanksgiving Eve through the following Sunday, MADD reports. In fact, Thanksgiving Eve is a particularly dangerous time to drive and is commonly referred to as “Blackout Wednesday” or “Drinksgiving”.

“Police are well aware of the increased DUIs this time of year, especially during the holiday weekend, and they won’t hesitate to pull people over, make arrests and give out citations for drunk driving and any other traffic violations they witness,” Corso said. “Having an experienced and aggressive Arizona DUI lawyer on your side can make a difference.”

With millions of people expected to travel during Thanksgiving, Corso expects a high number of drunk-driving related accidents will take place this year based on data from previous Thanksgiving weekends. Last year, the National Safety Council estimated 418 traffic fatalities and 44,700 injuries took place over the holiday weekend.

Corso Law Group is an experienced team of legal professionals who have handled thousands of Arizona DUI cases. Founder Christopher Corso is a former Maricopa County prosecutor who can help with drunk driving cases as well as other criminal defense needs such as criminal speeding, CDL tickets, photo radar tickets, felony charges, drug possession, weapons possession, violent crimes and more.

To schedule a free consultation with Corso Law Group, please visit https://corsolawgroup.com or call (480) 471-4616.

Corso Law Group, PLLC is located at 17470 N. Pacesetter Way Scottsdale, AZ 85255.

It’s back to school season which means thousands of students will return to college campuses over the next several weeks.

Students and parents should be aware that police are cracking down on DUIs and underage drinking near college campuses at this time of year.

With a high volume of students living on campus and in college towns, there are more opportunities for large parties and bar hopping which may lead to DUI incidents for drivers and alcohol-related charges for the underaged.

Last fall at Arizona State University, the Tempe Police Department’s “Safe and Sober” task force, which focuses on crimes involving alcohol, reported 371 arrests in three days the weekend before classes started and 486 arrests in three days the weekend after classes started, the Phoenix New Times reports.

A total of 86 drunk driving arrests, 208 minors in possession of alcohol arrests and numerous others were made by Tempe PD over those two weekends in 2013, according to a report form Tempe PD in the Phoenix New Times.

Many students in Arizona universities are from different states and countries. In fact, 37 percent of the freshman class were not from Arizona in 2012, according to ASU.

These non-residents may not be familiar with their DUI rights and Arizona DUI laws.

For example, many new and returning students may not know that Arizona law requires any person found guilty of drinking and driving serve jail time. DUI convictions can also include extensive fines up to $2,500, suspension of driving privileges and the installation of an ignition interlock device – all of this even for first offenders.

“DUIs are very common during the summer months and can continue into the fall when universities fill up again,” Christopher P. Corso of Corso Law Group said.

Every DUI defense case in Arizona is different, however, and the outcome is dependent upon the specific facts and circumstances surrounding the DUI charges, which makes having an experienced Arizona DUI defense attorney even more important.

Corso and his fellow founding partner John M. Rhude know the dangers of DUIs from their own professional experience. Both attorneys previously prosecuted DUIs, DWIs and OUIs for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

The experienced Arizona traffic lawyers at Corso Law Group serve clients throughout Arizona, including the cities of Ahwatukee, Avondale, Buckeye, Chandler, El Mirage, Gilbert, Glendale, Goodyear, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Sun City, Surprise, Tempe, Tolleson and Youngtown.

To schedule a free consultation, visit www.corsolawgroup.com or call (480) 471-4616. Corso Law Group, PLLC is located at 17470 N. Pacesetter Way Scottsdale, AZ 85255.

Court decisions from around the country are questioning the standard testing for alcohol levels in those suspected of drunk driving.

For years, a series of tests have been conducted by law enforcement to uncover elements common in people who have been suspected of drinking and driving. Officer observations are followed by roadside testing. Chemical breath tests and/or blood tests are collected as further evidence.

The accuracy of this process, and breathalyzer tests in particular, is being scrutinized through a landmark case, Daubert vs. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, the 1993 case resulting in the formation of the Daubert Standard. The Daubert Standard requires that the judge overseeing each case act as a gatekeeper, suppressing evidence that lacks scientific quality.

According to the Cornell University Law School Legal Information Institute, the Daubert Standard requires that a trial judge “make a preliminary assessment of whether an expert’s scientific testimony is based on reasoning or methodology that is scientifically valid and can properly be applied to the facts at issue.”

The Daubert Standard uses the following factors to determine the validity of methodology:

• whether the theory or technique in question can be and has been tested
• whether it has been subjected to peer review and publication
• its known or potential error rate
• the existence and maintenance of standards controlling its operation
• whether it has attracted widespread acceptance within a relevant scientific community

Court Decisions Influenced by the Daubert Standard

Since 1993, a long history of defense has been established through the use of the Daubert Standard. Recently, the Daubert Standard has helped mount defense against the use of a breathalyzer test that garners questionable results.

In August, an Ohio judge dismissed the results of a 2012 breath test because the Intoxilyzer 8000, a breathalyzer, was faulty according to the World News Report.

Also in 2013, the validity of results from the Intoxilyzer 8000 were again questioned in the State of Ohio vs. Chelsea Lancaster.

Despite a rigorous defense of the machine by the head engineer for the manufacturer of the Intoxilyzer 8000, a respected toxicologist and the head of the Ohio alcohol testing program, overall doubt regarding the credibility of the Intoxilyzer 8000 has been established through numerous rulings, the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (OACDL) reports.

Judge Teresa Liston was assigned by Marietta Municipal Court Judge Janet Dyar Welch to hear several similar cases and ruled that results by the Intoxilyzer 8000 are not scientifically reliable.

Among the problems with the machine were radio frequency interference, allowing result manipulation by officers, and evidence that the Intoxilyzer 8000 read not only alcohol levels but other substances found in the mouth, esophageal fluids and blood.

Due to a lack of scientific accuracy, results from the Intoxilyzer 8000 were dismissed.

These results have significant bearing on Arizona cases. The Intoxilyzer 8000 is the only breathalyzer test admissible in Arizona courts, according to Attorney at Law Magazine.

Chemical tests have been challenged under Daubert in Arizona as recently as August, when attorneys won a hearing involving the blood results of defendants charged with felony DUIs in Maricopa Superior Court. The Scottsdale crime lab was criticized for using faulty equipment and incorrect methods, causing the court to dismiss any of the lab’s reported results for the case.

As Arizona DUI lawyers, Corso Law Group will continue to monitor court decisions questioning the standard testing for alcohol levels in those suspected of drunk driving and to challenge methodology used by the state to obtain convictions.

Thanksgiving is the deadliest holiday of the year when it comes to drunk driving, according to Corso Law Group.

“Many people incorrectly assume that New Year’s Eve is responsible for the most drunk-driving deaths,” said John M. Rhude, Esq, of Corso Law Group. “In reality, Thanksgiving Day accounts for more fatalities related to DUIs than any other holiday. And because people don’t take it seriously, the fatality statistics continue to remain high.”

According to a 2009 Forbes magazine study, an average of 401 people die each year on New Year’s Day, the fifth worst holiday for drunk driving. The worst is Thanksgiving, with an average of 567 deaths each year. And a 2010 study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that year’s Thanksgiving holiday to be the most dangerous of the year.

Both Rhude and his founding law partner Christopher P. Corso, Esq. believe many people simply let their guard down during the long Thanksgiving weekend, with the day-long festivities encouraging them to not only drink more, but incorrectly assess how much alcohol they’ve consumed over the course of the holiday.

“And then after all of the meals, these same people get in their car and drive home,” he said. “And with Black Friday shopping sales beginning on Thanksgiving now, that puts a lot of families on the road with drunk drivers.”

Both lawyers know from experience the Arizona DUI arrests that can arise during the Thanksgiving weekend. Both attorneys previously prosecuted DUIs, DWIs and OUIs for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Combined, Corso Law Group have handled more than 15,000 DUI cases as prosecutors and defense attorneys.

Arizona law requires that any person found guilty of drinking and driving (even a first offense) serve jail time. And DUI convictions can also include extensive fines up to $2,500, suspension of driving privileges and the installation of an ignition interlock device – even for first offenders.

“DUI is a serious offense and something that no person should take lightly,” Corso said. “When you’re armed with the facts, it makes it even more vital that you have a designated driver if you plan on drinking – especially on Thanksgiving.”

Scottsdale, Ariz. – Thanksgiving is the deadliest holiday of the year when it comes to drunk driving, according to Corso Law Group.

“Many people assume that New Year’s Eve is responsible for the most drunk-driving deaths,” said Christopher P. Corso of Corso Law Group. “But that assumption is wrong. Each year Thanksgiving Day accounts for more fatalities related to DUIs than any other holiday.”

According to a 2009 Forbes magazine study, an average of 401 people die each year on New Year’s Day, the fifth worst holiday for drunk driving. The worst is Thanksgiving, with an average of 567 deaths each year.

Corso believes many people let their guard down on Thanksgiving, with the day-long festivities encouraging them to not only drink more, but assume that they haven’t had as much to drink.

“And then, of course, they get in their car and drive home,” he said.

Corso knows from experience the Arizona DUI arrests that can arise during the Thanksgiving weekend. He previously prosecuted DUIs, DWIs and OUIs for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Combined, Corso Law Group have handled more than 15,000 DUI cases as prosecutors and defense attorneys.

Arizona law requires that any person found guilty of drinking and driving (even a first offense) serve jail time. And DUI convictions can also include extensive fines up to $2,500, suspension of driving privileges and the installation of an ignition interlock device – even for first offenders.

“DUI is a serious offense and something that no person should take lightly,” Corso said. “When you’re armed with the facts, it makes it even more vital that you have a designated driver if you plan on drinking – even on Thanksgiving.”

In addition to DUIs and DWIs, Corso Law Group handles a myriad of criminal cases, including domestic violence defense, possession of drugs, felony drug charges, photo radar, criminal speeding, disorderly conduct and marijuana possession.

The Arizona DUI attorneys at Corso Law Group do everything in their power to protect defendant’s families and advocate for their rights. They have the experience and expertise to deal with DUI charges in Arizona and will fight to get the charges dismissed and preserve their family.

Every DUI defense case in Arizona is different, however, and the outcome is dependent upon the specific facts and circumstances surrounding the DUI charges, which makes having an experienced Arizona DUI defense attorney even more important.

Corso Law Group has quickly built a reputation for its vigorous defense of clients, using its lawyers’ previous experience with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and other prosecutorial agencies to assist its clients with their criminal defense cases.

In addition to DUI defense, Corso Law Group handles all criminal defense cases, including domestic violence defense, possession of drugs, felony drug charges, photo radar, criminal speeding, disorderly conduct and marijuana possession.

The experienced Arizona DUI lawyers at Corso Law Group serve clients throughout Arizona, including the cities of Ahwatukee, Avondale, Buckeye, Chandler, El Mirage, Gilbert, Glendale, Goodyear, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Sun City, Surprise, Tempe, Tolleson and Youngtown.

To schedule a free consultation, please visit www.corsolawgroup.com or call (480) 471-4616. Corso Law Group, PLLC is located at 17470 N. Pacesetter Way Scottsdale, AZ 85255.