What to Do If You Are Arrested for a Houston DWI During Football Season

27
Oct
By:

Texas criminal defense attorneyFootball and alcohol-use seem to go hand-in-hand, both for players and fans. According to USA Today, on average, NFL players are arrested for impaired driving between 13 and 14 times annually. NFL players have faced 177 arrests since January 2007 for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and three NFL players have caused fatal accidents while allegedly impaired.

Football fans also commonly face arrest during football season, especially as police tend to be on the lookout for impaired drivers on game days.

One University of Texas study found football games are among the days with the heaviest alcohol consumption over the course of the year. Of Texans who drink, 51 percent said they consumed three or more alcoholic beverages while watching football games and the Texas Department of Transportation indicated 45 percent of those motorists drove home. Police are often present around stadiums when the Houston Texans or Dallas Cowboys are playing to catch drunk drivers.

If you are pulled over after attending a football party or game, you may find yourself forced to submit to a test of your blood alcohol concentration. If you are found to be over-the-limit, you could be arrested and charged with impaired driving. You need to understand what your legal rights are and what to do after an arrest for DWI during football season.

What to Do If You Are Arrested For a DWI During Football Season

If you are arrested for a DWI during football season, the steps to take after the arrest are the same as they would be any time of the year – you need to contact an experienced attorney. Your lawyer will help you to decide if you should plead guilty to try to reduce penalties or if you can raise defenses.

Many people arrested after watching a football event end up with a blood alcohol concentration that is above .08 percent. If you consume three or more drinks while watching football and then you drive home, there is a very real possibility you could have a blood alcohol concentration above the permissible level. However, even having a high BAC does not necessarily mean you are going to be convicted. Just recently, ABC reported on forensic errors in a crime lab in Chicago that were jeopardizing DWI prosecutions.

Attorneys defending a client accused of causing a drunk driving accident were able to recover internal audits showing the crime lab expressed concern about evidence handling and scientific methods. Subsequent investigations showed numerous problems at the testing lab including mixing up test results, improperly destroying samples, and improperly calibrated equipment. When there are problems with tests, it is possible the evidence won’t be able to be used effectively by prosecutors to secure a conviction.

Forensic evidence including the results of blood and urine tests for alcohol can often be challenged, and a DWI defense lawyer can help determine how you can best defend yourself if you are arrested for impaired driving during football season.

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