texas dwi

Arizona DUI lawyer Christopher Corso discussed “Blackout Wednesday”, the evening before Thanksgiving day, and the shocking drunk driving statistics which accompany the holiday with Price of Business host, Kevin Price.

According to U.S. Department of Transportation, approximately 91 percent of travel will take place by personal vehicle over Thanksgiving, one reason why “Blackout Wednesday”, or commonly referred to as “Drinksgiving”, is a very dangerous time to drive. According to MADD, 40 percent of highway deaths in the U.S. are caused by alcohol-related crashes over the Thanksgiving holiday, starting on “Blackout Wednesday”.

Drivers should also be aware of being ticketed for other traffic violations.

“Travel contributes to Thanksgiving being one of the deadliest holidays of the year,” Corso said. “Nationwide, these numbers are also similar but out West, especially states with No-Refusal, that’s where you’re going to see an increase in DUIs. You just need to remember to be safe out there.”

Listen to the full interview here:  http://bit.ly/1XIcgjM.

With more than 50 years of criminal defense experience, 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 call (480) 471-4616.

Prom and graduation seasons are here, which means teens around the country are preparing for nights of fun and celebration. While this is a joyful time, it’s important for teens and parents to understand the dangers of underage drinking and intoxicated driving.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in America, which means preparing young adults with the safety information they need is crucial, especially this time of year when they may be tempted to make troublesome decisions like drunk driving or riding in the car with an intoxicated driver.

In fact, starting in April, when prom and graduation season begins, the number of fatal car accidents involving teenagers increases, with an average of 246 deaths per month until class begins again in late August and September.

Findings from the most recent study on young drivers by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report that 28 percent of drivers 15 to 20-years-old who were killed in car accidents had alcohol in their systems.

Many crashes involving teens happen late at night on the weekends, with 49% of teen deaths from car accidents occurring between 3 p.m. and midnight on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

Knowing these facts, parents and teens need to work together to create a plan for prom night and graduation parties that encourages making the right choices and asking for help if they need it.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving said that almost half of all 10th grade students drink alcohol, so even if you don’t think your child will be drinking on prom night or after graduation, establish guidelines and discuss safe options with them just in case.

Would knowing your blood alcohol content help you make the right decision to call a cab or hail an Uber at the end of the night?

Breathometer, a portable breathalyzer that works on smartphones, has partnered with Uber to further prevent drunk driving by offering users safe, convenient alternatives to getting behind the wheel when intoxicated.

Simply blow into one of the Breathometer devices, which can be wireless or attached to the headphone jack, and the app shows the person’s current blood alcohol content.

If BAC levels are at .04 percent or higher, Breathometer provides a list of nearby restaurants, hotels and transportation options that can be contacted directly form the app.

Now partnered with Uber, an app that connects people to drivers in the area, Breathometer offers the company’s services first on the list of transportation options, and the Uber app automatically opens when selected on Breathometer.

Since the partnership began earlier this year, Uber has been selected 54 percent more frequently than the other options Breathometer offers, with approximately 1,700 Uber rides so far.

After recording BAC levels, Breathometer has the option to store this information so that over time, the app gets to know how much alcohol it takes for an individual to become intoxicated, how long it takes to sober up and more.

In the future, Breathometer founder and CEO Charles Yim has plans to expand the app even more, so that it offers users additional services, such as helpful resources for battling alcohol abuse.

The partnership between the Uber and Breathometer, and each of their respective partnerships with Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Fathers Against Drunk Driving, demonstrates a serious effort to prevent alcohol-related accidents.

Powdered alcohol has been approved, despite last year’s false start, and could be available in the U.S. this summer.

On March 10, The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) granted approval to Palcohol, an alcoholic powder by Arizona company Lipsmark LLC that can be added to any liquid for a custom beverage.

Palcohol was approved after scientific review from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the product’s ingredients weren’t concerning and proved no need for a legal block.

The TTB originally approved Palcohol last April, but public outcry led to a temporary repeal two weeks later.

Although Palcohol would follow the same age and distribution regulations as liquid alcohol, that hasn’t stopped several hesitant states from taking measures to keep it away.

Some passed legislation banning powdered alcohol last year, including South Carolina, Louisiana and Vermont; while others like Mississippi, Virginia, Ohio, Colorado, North Dakota, New York, New Jersey and Washington are still considering taking similar action against Palcohol.

Opponents of the powder are concerned about the potential dangers of such a new, unique product. Specifically, many are afraid it will be easier to abuse and conceal, especially for minors, but Lipsmark founder, Mark Phillips, argues Palcohol is no more dangerous than liquid alcohol.

The Palcohol website addresses major concerns like snorting the powder, spiking drinks and food and overloading cocktails with the powder.

“Listen, people can snort black pepper….so do we ban it? No, just because a few goofballs use a product irresponsibly doesn’t mean you ban it,” Phillips said.

Palcohol was originally created by Phillips, an avid hiker and backpacker, with the help of scientists so that people who travel or spend time outdoors could conveniently bring their favorite drinks with them to unique destinations.

Lipsmark also has plans to make an industrial, non-ingestible Palcohol formula, in addition to its consumable rum, vodka and cocktail products, to be used for medicine, energy, travel, hospitality, manufacturing and commercial purposes.

A Florida criminal defense attorney’s DUI checkpoint flyers intended to protect people from wrongful charges are cause for controversy as they may allow impaired drivers to avoid arrest.

Warren Redlich is the criminal defense attorney behind the “Fair DUI Flyer,” which is essentially a DUI checkpoint kit drivers are using to go through stops without having to roll down the window and interact with officers face to face, preventing police from perceiving slurred speech or detecting alcohol on the breath.

Law enforcement officials are questioning the legality of the Fair DUI Flyer as DUI checkpoints are legal in 38 states, and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling from 1990 upheld that these types of stops do not violate constitutional search and seizure rights because they help prevent hazards caused by drunk driving.

Organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) are concerned that the flyers let impaired drivers stay on the roads, potentially causing harm to themselves and others. According to MADD, 676 people were killed in drunk-driving related accidents in Florida in 2014.

The Fair DUI Flyer reads “I remain silent, no searches and I want my lawyer,” along with a short list of state laws and a set of instructions for the driver to display their driver’s license, proof of insurance and car registration.

“It’s a method for innocent people to protect themselves from a bad DUI arrest,” Redlich told USA TODAY Network.

A YouTube video with over 2.5 million views shows a man using Redlich’s flyer at checkpoints in Florida, with the flyer and required documents in a plastic bag set outside the driver’s window for police to inspect.

In the video, Florida Highway Patrol officers observe the flyer and eventually waive the car through.

Redlich said he created the flyer because he, “was tired of defending people who were wrongfully arrested after going through checkpoints.”

The flyer is tailored to laws in 12 different states, but Redlich doesn’t recommend using them in states other than where he practices in New York and Florida without speaking to a lawyer first.

While people in Florida may have had some success with Redlich’s method, the flyer doesn’t guarantee drivers will get through checkpoints unscathed. An officer may have other reasons to give citations that have nothing to do with impaired driving, in which case the flyer says to have the officer put the ticket on the windshield.

Would you dare to use the Fair DUI Flyer?

A DUI or DWI charge may indicate a high risk of possible accidents, enabling insurance companies to inflate auto-insurance rates tremendously for approximately three years for anyone facing intoxicated or drunk driving charges.

High-risk driving is associated with DUI charges, as driving while impaired is an extremely dangerous situation to the driver and everyone else in the vicinity. People driving with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.09 percent are 11 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than those with a 0.0 BAC, Esurance reports.

That type of high-risk driving is a red flag for insurance companies to exert higher premiums. Having a DUI on their driving history shows greater risk of being involved in or causing an accident.

How much will insurance rates increase with a DUI charge?

Insurance rates depend on a variety of factors including age, gender and driving records. For example, someone with only one DUI charge where no one was injured and no property was damaged, insurance premiums alone – not including the other costs of a DUI like treatment program, court and attorney fees – can increase to $2,700, making insurance hundreds of dollars more expensive each month.

Premiums will remain high for years depending on the state and it’s individual laws. In Arizona and Texas for example, DUI charges affect insurance rates for three years after the date of the incident, Progressive said.

During that three year period, high-risk drivers will most likely not be able to switch insurance policies, qualify to use insurance promotion deals or change companies because of extra fees and added challenges starting the evaluation process once a DUI is on his or her record.

A conservative cost estimate for the total amount of money spent on a DUI charge is just under $9,000. Thousands of dollars, possible injuries, property damage, emotional distress and other threats of a DUI are not worth it, call a cab or designate a driver before getting behind the wheel while intoxicated.