DUI Biology
DUI Defense Checklist
A DUI can happen to anyone. – A DUI arrest can happen to anyone. Thousands of people are arrested for DUI each month throughout the State of California. Although each DUI arrest is unique in its specific details and circumstances, the following is a typical DUI arrest scenario. Note that men and women are equally arrested for DUI every day. The use of the pronouns ‘he/him/his’ below are used for writing clarity, however they refer to all genders. […]
How Long Does Alcohol Stay in Your Body?
On average, the liver takes one hour to metabolize one ounce of alcohol. Matabolism is the process by which the body removes the alcohol from the blood system by way of the liver. The body follows a straightforward process when processing alcohol. The length of time alcohol stays in the system has more to do with how much a person drinks than any other factors. If you’ve ever had more than your “fair share” of drinks, you may recall a point where the “buzz” started to turn bad. […]
What is chemical testing?
Chemical testing is very complex. Whether it’s breath testing, blood testing, both have their flaws. Breath tests are either fuel cell devices which means that they are a hand held device, or they’re an infrared device which means that they use light in determining an alcohol concentration. If you have not reached absorption, and you have not reached equilibrium that breath test can overstate the results by 200% to 300% Blood testing is equally complex, because it’s done through a process of chromatography. If you’ve been arrested for a DUI, and you have a question [...]
How long does alcohol stay in your system?
People often ask, “how long does alcohol stay in your system?” It really depends on the factors of your situation, and it also depends on genetics. Not everybody absorbs alcohol at the same rate. Not everybody metabolizes at the same rate, so it varies. It depends on what you drank, how much you drank, and the times that you drank. When you started, and when you finished. If you’ve been charged for a DUI, and you have questions as to what your blood alcohol concentration may be, then give me a call so that we [...]
DUI Blood Alcohol Testing & How To Fight Them
A person’s blood alcohol content can be determined by testing a sample of the person’s blood. Compared to a breath test, a blood test is generally a more accurate method to determine a person’s blood alcohol concentration if the analysis is done correctly. However, blood alcohol analysis is a very complicated process and there are many factors related to blood testing that can cause the result to be unreliable. […]
Under Age 21 DUI Arrest
Why Fight Under 21 Alcohol Arrest?: Most under age 21 alcohol arrests are for .01 blood alcohol concentration or greater. In most of these arrests, the officer relies on an antiquated breath machine that uses fuel cell technology. There are many factors that can affect the accuracy of the result from a fuel cell device. It is essential that you have an expert DUI defense lawyer who has expertise with these breath machines defend you. […]
Myths About DUI
Myth #1: It is illegal to drink and drive.:The Truth: It is NOT illegal to drink and then drive in California. It IS illegal to drive a vehicle while “under the influence” of alcohol and/or drugs (Vehicle Code 23152(a)). It is also illegal to drive a vehicle while having a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or more. (Vehicle Code 23152(b)). […]
The Anatomy of a DUI – Why Symptoms of Impairment are Important
In my last article in the Anatomy of a DUI series, I discussed the effects of alcohol from a clinical perspective showing the various stages of intoxication at various Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) levels. Why is this important information to know? When a person is arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol, the arresting officer will note the persons symptoms and behaviors in the arrest report, thus knowing what an arresting officer is looking for is important to possibly avoid a DUI arrest and conviction. For example, a person who has a BAC level of 0.09 to [...]
The Anatomy of a DUI – Effects of Alcohol
In my last article I discussed the dose-response relationship of alcohol. But before I move the discussion to the mechanics of an actual DUI arrest, I believe it is important to give readers an understanding of the effects of alcohol from a clinical perspective. As you’ll see, throughout the various stages of intoxication discussed below, overlap in the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels will occur because alcohol does not affect every person the same at any given point. The blood alcohol concentration (BAC) percentages shown below are based on grams of alcohol in every 100 milliliters of blood. BAC Levels/Effects [...]
The Anatomy of a DUI – Alcohol and the Dose Response Relationship
Dose-Response Relationships People often ask the questions, "how 'high' is 'drunk'?" What is the "legal limit" for "drunk driving"? How much can a person drink before becoming "impaired" or “under the influence”? There is no simple answer to these or similar questions, except to say that any amount of alcohol may affect a person's ability to drive to some degree. It is true that California has established a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit of 0.08% (grams of alcohol in every 100 milliliters of blood) which makes it explicitly unlawful to drive a vehicle at the .08% BAC level (Vehicle Code [...]
