Traverse City – Drugged Driving Offenses
Drunk driving laws have gotten more serious all over the country in the last few decades. This is true in Michigan, too. In fact, more Northern Michigan residents face drunk driving charges today than ever before. That’s because the State of Michigan keeps expanding the definition of drunk driving.
Today, you can be a drunk driver any time alcohol influences your ability to drive. Although the legal limit is a .08, your bodily alcohol content can be as low as a .01 if that alcohol influences your ability to drive. If your BAC is over a .08 it doesn’t matter if you can still drive perfectly. In that case, you’re a drunk driver. However, if your alcohol levels are lower than that, you can still be a drunk driver anytime alcohol influences your ability to drive.
Drugs and Controlled Substances
Where many Northern Michigan drivers get into trouble is that Michigan’s drunk driving laws include drugged driving as well as driving under the influence of alcohol. That means if you’re under the influence of an illegal or prescription drug, you can be a drunk driver. So that means you can be a drunk driver even if you’ve taken drugs that have been legally prescribed for you and you’re taking them according to your doctor’s orders.
There are no legal limits for any kind of drug. This includes marijuana. There’s no black and white line where it’s legal to drive with a certain amount of each drug in your system and no more. Instead, in each case, the jury must evaluate the case to see if the drug influences the person’s ability to drive.
Many people end up charged with drunk driving each year when they had no intent to break the law. Often, this becomes a factual dispute as to how the drugs influenced the person’s ability to drive. It might end up being your word against the officers. If your case is investigated by the Grand Traverse Sheriff’s Office, there may not be video in your case. This can make your case defendable, because juries today like to see video evidence.
How we can help
There are severe consequences if you’re convicted of drunk driving, so our OWI lawyer Traverse City team is here to help. You risk going to jail for three months or even longer. You may have to complete a term of probation that includes education and rehabilitative programs.
Our Operating While Intoxicated lawyer Traverse City can give you a realistic idea of what to expect. Part of taking the fear out of a drunk driving charge is knowing what to expect. We can help you understand what the judges have done in cases like yours and what they might do in your case. Knowing what to expect can help you prepare for court.
One significant problem that you may have to consider is a driver’s license suspension. All OWI convictions come with some kind of license penalties. You should take this into account when you consider how to proceed in your case. In some cases, our Traverse City OWI attorney can help convince the state to offer you a reduction in the charges in order to reduce the license penalties that you face in your case. This can be incredibly helpful in order to get to work, take care of family and fulfill other obligations.
Contact us
Our Operating While Intoxicated Traverse City attorney team is standing by to review your case. We look at the field sobriety tests, the traffic stop and what the law enforcement officer claims they observed. We take the time to interview witnesses and thoroughly review the chemical evidence in your case such as a blood test. From there, we work with you to prepare your best defense.
If you’re facing a drunk driving or drugged driving charge, please contact us at (231) 486-6366 for an immediate consultation of your case. We look forward to meeting you.