The holiday season is a festive time during which many people attend office parties, family reunions, concerts, and other festivities with friends. Some individuals overindulge, make the decision to drive home, and end up being charged with driving under the influence of alcohol under North Dakota law.
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s are the holidays during which police departments are most likely to set up sobriety checkpoints. If you are facing DUI charges, contact the lawyers at O’Keeffe O’Brien Lyson Attorneys to schedule a free case review. We can analyze the facts of your case and advise you on any applicable defenses that may be beneficial to your outcome.
How to Avoid Drunk Driving Incidents During the Holiday Season
The easiest way to avoid an arrest for DUI during the holidays is not to drive while intoxicated. Designate a driver who will not be drinking alcohol so that you and your companions can arrive home safely. You can get a taxi or use a rideshare company if there is no designated driver available.
However, even if you have nothing to drink and are stopped by an officer, you might find yourself wrongfully arrested. Many officers are prepared for maximum enforcement of DUI laws, so they might assume certain drivers are intoxicated when, in reality, they are not.
DUI in North Dakota
Driving under the influence of alcohol is a serious offense in North Dakota, and officers often make arrests due to the results of a breathalyzer test or field sobriety tests. An experienced and knowledgeable criminal defense attorney can scrutinize any tests conducted by the officer to identify errors. The breathalyzer machine used to collect a sample of a driver’s breath may also be faulty or misused by the officer, or the field sobriety tests might not have been administered properly. These are important aspects of many DUI cases in North Dakota.
Avoiding a DUI conviction will mean that you do not have to pay fines, forfeit your driver’s license, or face incarceration in a county jail or state prison. If you have multiple previous DUI convictions, you may even be facing a felony conviction.
Felony convictions are serious matters. Many civil liberties are stripped from individuals convicted of felony offenses, so it is imperative that you contact an experienced criminal defense attorney today to help you discover every possible defense that may be applicable to your case.
Our attorneys can help you understand how the state law of North Dakota applies to your charges. If you were arrested near Fargo, North Dakota, then contact our office to discuss your options. We are here to help you preserve your constitutional rights.
Contact a Fargo DUI Defense Lawyer Right Away
A DUI attorney can help you put forth your best defense if you have been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. Contact our experienced criminal defense attorney, Tatum O’Brien, by email, or call O’Keeffe O’Brien Lyson Attorneys at 701-235-8000 or toll-free 877-235-8002.
