Laws from Ancient Rome

Did you know that many of our modern laws system from ancient Rome? That might not be true about drunken chariot driving, or DCD laws, but it holds true for many other ares... For example if you ran someone over drunk in your chariot you could be hauled into court. A jury would be selected and you would have to pay fines and/or be punished. Sound familiar? The only diference, besides not having cars, was that they only had civil court. Somebody had to sue for damages. We can thank the ancient roman military for many of our military court systems too. Not to mention that we can thank them for that fancy statue of the blind lady, all though to them it was more about fortune being blind, not necessarily justice.

I wonder if they had the first DUI trial too? You could have taken someone to court for running over your goat while driving their cart drunk!

Thanks!

Holiday DUI's in PA

I guess they are never going to learn. It looks like a bumper year for PA holiday DUI's. All the DUI/DWI attorneys I have talked to in Pennsylvania indicate a lot of DUIs were issued in Pennsylvania over the Christmas and New Years holiday season. I'll post up the statistics when the come in, until then it looks like I'll be plenty busy with this case load. I'm always surprised people continue to drive while intoxicated on these nights, but I guess some people will never learn.

PA First Offense Penalties and Effects on Personal Finance

First time offenders are looking at substantial monetary fines and probation, and this can be much, much worse if you have a high BAC (blood alcohol content) or if someone is injured or killed. For a first time offence though you can expect to get slapped with around $5,000 in fines and fees. Add on top of this your expenses for attorney fees and higher insurance rates. Drunk drivers insurance rates can triple or offenders can be dropped from their insurance. It would be very interesting here what other long term economic affects a DUI conviction causes. I'm sure that most people’s credit scores suffer due to missed/late payments caused by the economic strain of a conviction. It would be very interest if someone signed up for a credit reporting service and monitored the effects during this process, or at least posted a before and after credit score.  Regardless, the effects of a DUI on peoples personal finances are severe and additional offenses have a multiplying effect on this economic pain. Just be thankful you don't live in Germany if you get a conviction, they take a percent of your income!

Law School Paid Off!

Hey everyone, I have finally got law school paid off! A 65k debt that has been on my books since the mid 90's. I'll tell you what, it has paid off to have that degree too. I truly enjoy being a DUI attorney in the great state of Pennsylvania.

Sorry I haven't posted any great news in a while, but to tell you the truth this is such a busy time of year for DUI's. So be careful out there, the police are out in force and balancing their budgets.

Pennsylvania ARD Program

The Pennsylvania ARD program is a driver rehabilitation program for first time DUI offenders that allows the DUI or DWI charges to be dropped upon completion of the program. To be eligible it has to have been your first offense in the last 10 years, you cannot have had a minor of the age 14 or under in the car and no injuries could have occurred during the infraction. This is usually the best case scenario if you have been busted driving under the influence of alcohol. The DUI will not go on your record and won't endanger future employment. Furthermore it is less expensive and offenders won't have to serve time in jail.

The ARD program is administered at the county level, and they don't make it easy for you. They are not your friends; an attorney should be hired to help you navigate the PA ARD Program. However, the best solution is to use the Pennsylvania ARD Program service provided by ARDprogram.com. For a small (comparatively) fee they assist offenders through the maze of forms and red tape needed to complete an ARD Program. They are highly recommended and provide an experienced DUI attorney to guide you through the program.

Holiday Drunk Driving

Happy Holidays! Don't drink and drive, need I remind you! Holiday parties are common and it's that time of the year again, DUI time. The holiday season is the biggest spike in DUI's during the year, good for DUI attorneys but bad for everyone else. Please be safe, take a cab, or just don't drink if your driving.

But, let's look at some numbers. Way more Americans die each year from drunk driving then we have lost in the entire war in Iraq. In fact, about as many Americans die in Pennsylvania alone as they do in the whole war every month. This is a sad reality, but we have actually improved since the US started getting serious about the problem. Harsh punishments for DUI offenders has worked. In Pennsylvania 1048 people died in drunk driving accidents in 1992, now that is down to 556 in 2006. Obviously 556 fatalities in one state is still way to high, but I think it shows that the DUI laws are saving lives. So, enjoy the holiday season, and enjoy a stiff egg nog and brandy when you get home from the party!

Drunk Driving Deaths Decline

Drunk Driving Fatalities Fall Nation Wide.

Although the nation still looses three times as many people to drunk driving in one year as we lost in both Iraq wars combined, the numbers have declined.

Here is the announcement by US Transportation Secretary, Mary Peters.

DUI Fatalities Down Nationwide and in 32 States,Says U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary PetersAnnouncement Comes as Federal, State and Local Governments Launch Massive Enforcement Crackdown and Advertising Blitz for Labor Day Weekend New national figures released today show a significant decline in the number of drunk driving-related fatalities occurring nationally and in 32 individual states, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters announced. However, the Secretary noted that the number of alcohol related fatalities among motorcyclists is climbing in half of the states. “More drivers are getting the message that if you drink and drive, you will be caught, you will be arrested and you will go to jail,” said Secretary Peters. “But as good as this progress is, in this day and age there is simply no excuse for someone to drink and then drive.”

Secretary Peters noted that last year an estimated 12,998 people were killed in crashes where a vehicle operator had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. She said that represented a 3.7 percent decline from the 13,491 fatalities in 2006. However, figures showing that 25 states experienced an increase in the number of drunk motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes was disappointing, the Secretary said.

The Secretary added that the Department was working with law enforcement agencies across the nation to launch stepped-up drunk driving enforcement efforts during the Labor Day holiday period. She added that the Department also was investing $13 million in advertising during the holiday weekend to deliver the message, “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.”

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) advertising campaign this year will include media outlets and information sources that are most likely to reach high risk demographic groups. The agency is using more web-based outreach, teaming up with alternative media partners. The new ads are being seen on message banners on well-known social media sites, internet TV programming, mobile devices and even PC-based video games.

Secretary Peters also reminded drivers – and motorcycle riders – attending holiday gatherings that if they plan to drink, that they make arrangements for a ride home with a sober driver.

NHTSA’s new statistical report on 2007 alcohol-related fatalities is drawn from the agency’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)