The state of Texas already has
some of the tougher DWI laws, and many fear they are about to get even more
severe. A man in Spring, Texas, bought a woman several
drinks as they chatted in a bar. Later, the woman left, ending up driving the
wrong way and killing two innocent victims. While this is certainly a tragedy,
the man who bought the drinks may face criminal liability for his “role” in the
accident. Dram shop liability laws as well as laws which hold hosts of a
private party responsible for intoxicated guests who leave the party and cause
an accident may have just gone one step further. It’s difficult to imagine that
the age-old act of buying drinks for a person you meet in a bar could result in
criminal charges. People who have been charged with DWI or have had criminal
charges leveled against them for serving or buying drinks for another person
could benefit from speaking with a Houston DWI attorney.
Long-Term Consequences of a DWI Conviction
There are so many extremely
negative—and long-lasting—consequences of a DWI conviction that should you be
accused of a DWI you must take these
charges seriously and get the proper help early on in the process. A DWI
conviction can cause you to lose your license for an extended period of time,
be subjected to expensive fees and fines and have your auto insurance cancelled
or at the least be forced to pay extremely high insurance premiums for years to
come. You may be prohibited from owning a firearm, working with children,
taking out a loan for college, running for public office, obtaining a
professional license and you could even lose your job. With so much to lose,
fighting DWI charges aggressively is imperative.
Helping You Avoid a DWI Conviction
An experienced Houston DWIlawyer has a variety of tactics which can be employed on your behalf once you
have been charged with DWI. Even though the police and state prosecutor are
held to higher standards of behavior, they don’t always follow those rules to
the letter. In some cases police officers may pull you over without probable
cause, or may search your vehicle without probable cause. A police officer may not stop you simply because he thinks
you look suspicious; there must be clear reasonable suspicion which is more
than the officer’s guess. Unless you are violating a specific traffic
ordinance, an officer is not allowed to stop you. The police officer does not
have the right to stop you simply to check your license and registration unless
you have committed a clear traffic violation or there is articulable suspicion
of a crime.
You could be detained longer
than is reasonable for the police to investigate or a police officer may follow
you into your residence with no invitation to do so. Further, as far as breath tests,
blood tests and field sobriety tests, all rules of the Department of Public
Safety must be followed to the letter and the Breathalyzer must be properly
calibrated and properly used. Field
sobriety tests are notorious for being unreliable due to the subjectivity of
the test. Women wearing high heels can have serious difficulty walking on an
uneven road shoulder even when totally sober. Those taking certain medications
may be unable to balance well enough to pass the test and anyone who is
extremely anxious and frightened following a DWI stop may be so nervous they
are unable to pass the tests. As you can see, there are many ways a Houston
drunk driving lawyer can help you, so don’t try to handle DWI charges on your
own.
