Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol can have terrible consequences, both for those injured in an accident, and for those who are charged with a crime. Even if no one is injured, and even if no car accident results, a person who has been charged with drunk driving can potentially face serious penalties, including jail, probation, and a license suspension.
As opposed to drinking alcohol to a point that impairs driving skills and leads to a charge of drunk driving, drugged driving involves taking medication or drugs, whether legal or illegal, prescribed or not, that impair one’s driving skills. A recent high-profile case involving a member of one of America’s most prominent families has resulted in an acquittal of drugged driving charges.
A lot of drunk driving charges in Arizona are based on breath tests that help determine the blood alcohol content in a suspect. The driver is asked to blow into a system that takes a sample of the individual’s breath. The sample is then run through the machine, measuring the alcohol by way of a chemical reaction.
Blood alcohol tests are used by law enforcement officials to determine the possible level of driver impairment in order to establish a drunk driving charge. Results of these tests are used to determine whether an individual in Arizona can be charged with Driving Under the Influence, Extreme DUI or Super Extreme DUI.
On Aug. 13, 2013, Mesa police responded to an accident in which a cyclist suffered fatal injuries. At the scene, the officers determined that the individual had been hit by a vehicle. Further investigation led them to suspect that a specific 37-year-old man had driven his vehicle while intoxicated that evening.
