A new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that people living in Hawaii and the Midwest are the most likely to drive drunk in the U.S. Meanwhile, New York motorists are pretty far down on the list.
New York state has strict laws against drunk driving, but about half the country has stricter penalties. New York ranked 24th in drunk driving penalties in a ranking of the strictest DUI states in the country. The ranking, which includes all 50 states and Washington, D.C., was contained in a study recently released by a consumer finance website.
An arrest for driving under the influence results in the first appearance in court in a criminal case for many New York residents. For people whose only knowledge of criminal courts comes from television and movies, they may not understand the process or know what to expect in court. The first step is arraignment. In many cases, arraignment is the only court appearance because many individuals charged with DUI plead guilty if the evidence against them is strong.
In the state of New York, motorists accused of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol may face serious fines and penalties if convicted. This is especially true if a driver has been previously convicted of multiple offenses or if a DUI charge involves an accident in which other people were killed or injured. However, depending on the circumstances, a number of defense strategies are available to those who decide to contest the validity of drunk driving charges.
New York residents may be interested in learning about a separate court for those charged with driving while intoxicated in Brooklyn. Felony DWI Court was established by the Kings County Supreme Court in late 2010 as part of the Brooklyn Treatment Court. This special court is separate from the usual system but has specific qualifications for eligibility.
A 27-year-old woman is facing charges of DWI after an accident on county Route 37 in New York on Jan. 27 around 10 a.m. According to authorities, the woman lost control of her Volkswagen Beetle on a curve and crashed into a sign dedicated to the memory of a trooper who died in the same spot in 2012.
According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, a 50-year-old woman who was applying for a driving job is facing a DWI charge after a sobriety test revealed her to be severely impaired. The incident reportedly happened on Dec. 17 in Fort Edward.
As traffic slowly moved along the West Shore Expressway near Brooklyn on Nov. 28, one vehicle stopped and didn’t start again when the congestion cleared up. According to reports, the driver of the vehicle had fallen asleep.
Police in New York say that a 30-year-old man was driving under the influence when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a residence on Nov. 21. In addition to drunk driving charges, the Scottsville resident is facing counts of leaving the scene of an accident, driving without a valid driver’s license and contempt.
Following a traffic stop last week, a Connecticut man allegedly tried to eat the results of a breathalyzer test.