Don’t drink and drive this St. Patrick’s Day Weekend in Seattle
Earlier today I was traveling down Hwy 99 and noticed there was an announcement of increased DUI patrols in the Seattle area. With St. Patrick’s Day falling on a Monday this weekend is when the majority of celebrations will be taking place. Unfortunately for the patrons of these events the Seattle Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies understand this and will be conducting extra DUI Patrols looking for impaired drivers.
As a DUI lawyer in Seattle my advice is very simple of you decide to partake in the festivities and have a few adult beverages. Under no circumstances should you drive your vehicle if you have had a drop of alcohol. If you’re an avid reader of this blog then you know I’m constantly saying there is no such thing as a legal limit anymore. So what does this mean?
If you have a single drink this weekend and you get pulled over for any lawful reason. If the Seattle Police Officer smells an odor of alcohol on your breath or in your car you will get arrested for a Seattle DUI. There will be no if’s and but’s about it. I see this every day and unfortunately the general public does not understand the possibility of getting a DUI with a blood alcohol level lower than the legal limit.
Heck I blogged last summer how a defendant was convicted in the Redmond District Court of a DUI with a 0.04 alcohol level. And last month another defendant was convicted in that same court with a THC level half the legal limit. If that doesn’t show you there is no legal limit than I don’t know what will.
If you do find yourself being investigated for a DUI. Then do yourself a favor and follow these simple rules
Only admit to a single drink
Ask to speak with a lawyer before the field sobriety tests
Decline the field sobriety tests
Ask to speak with a lawyer before the breath or blood test
Be polite
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About the author: Matthew Leyba is a DUI Lawyer in the Seattle Bellevue area. He has been repeatedly named a Rising Star by the Seattle Met Magazine in the field of DUI Defense, only 2.5% of all lawyers receive this nomination. Additionally he is rated as a 10/10 by Avvo.com a national lawyer rating service.