DUI Lawyer Seattle WA Warns to Use Caution This Summer

Summer is a season for fun in the sunshine, beach parties and many holidays. As your DUI lawyer Seattle WA knows, however, summer is also a season when many people get arrested for a DUI. DUIs are especially common in the summer for many reasons including both the increased likelihood of sitting around a BBQ or summer party drinking beers or other cool drinks and also the strong likelihood of DUI checkpoints on certain key summer days. DUI Lawyer Seattle WA Advises Clients on Summer DUIs Any DUI lawyer Seattle WA can tell you that many people call after a major holiday weekend with a report that they have been arrested for driving under the influence. This can not only put a crimp in your holiday plans as you are arrested, taken to jail and booked into the criminal justice system, but it can also have a major impact on the rest of your life since a DUI can result in a criminal conviction, a criminal record, jail time, the suspension of your drivers license and large fines. So, why does a DUI lawyer Seattle WA get more calls after a holiday weekend from clients who have been arrested and who face these serious charges? In part because people are more likely to drink during the holidays, of course. However, there is also another important reason as well. Police are notorious for setting up DUI checkpoints during summer holidays when people are most likely to drink alcohol. This is especially true around Memorial Day, Labor Day, and the Fourth of July. DUI Lawyer Seattle WA on DUI Checkpoints If you are arrested after being stopped at a DUI checkpoint, it is very important that you contact a DUI lawyer Seattle WA as soon as possible for legal advice. Although DUI checkpoints have largely been ruled constitutional and permissible, they are still a technical violation of your Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. This means that unless police followed very specific guidelines regarding how to pull people over at the DUI checkpoint, you may be able to have the evidence collected from this checkpoint kept out of court. This is especially true if the police singled you out in some way during the checkpoint in deciding to search you or your vehicle. If the evidence is kept out of court, then without evidence against you, a prosecutor assigned to your DUI case cannot prove you are guilty of a DUI. Your DUI lawyer Seattle WA wouldn't have to help you to prove any kind of defense- it would be enough for your DUI lawyer Seattle WA to simply point out that the prosecutor has not meet his burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that you were guilty of a DUI. Getting Help The best way to avoid a DUI arrest this summer is to avoid drinking and driving- especially when a checkpoint is likely. However, if you are arrested for driving while intoxicated, contacting a DUI lawyer Seattle WA is the single best way to give you a chance to stay out of jail and minimize the adverse consequences of a DUI arrest.