Every year, you can count on the holiday season to bring certain things: lots of food, a festive atmosphere, plenty of good cheer and an increased police presence on the roads and highways all over Florida.
Every year, the Florida Highway Patrol issues an annual reminder that troopers won’t be spending the Thanksgiving weekend with their families. Instead, they’ll be out in force, looking for dangerous drivers, particularly those who seem inebriated.
There’s good reason for Florida’s troopers to be concerned. There were more than 10,000 crashes over the 2017 Thanksgiving weekend and 105 deaths as a result. Throughout the nation, people tend to have a few drinks over Thanksgiving — and many of those people exercise poor judgment and get behind the wheel afterward.
Take the following steps to avoid ending up arrested for drunk driving this holiday season, starting with Thanksgiving weekend:
- If you’re going to indulge in drink at a holiday party, limit yourself. Decide how much you can have in advance and stick to it. Many people “binge” drink on holidays and lose count because they don’t have a plan.
- Arrange for a ride home before you go to a party or relative’s house where there will be alcohol. Take Uber, Lyft or a cab there and get home the same way.
- Remember that you don’t have blow higher than 0.8 on a Breathalyzer to get arrested for drunk driving. Any alcohol in your system can provoke an arrest if the officer says you were driving erratically.
- If you do decide to drive and you’ve had a drink, make certain that you feel completely sober. “Buzzed” driving is drunk driving.
- Obey all the traffic laws, don’t speed and wear your seat belt. You don’t want to give the police any reason to pull you over and start asking questions.
- If you are pulled over, stay composed. Provide the officer with your license, insurance card and registration — and nothing else. Don’t tell the officer where you have been or admit that you were drinking.
If you do end up arrested for drunk driving, stay calm. Don’t offer any explanations or excuses. Invoke your right to remain silent and let your attorney do the talking for you later. For more information on how to protect your legal interests after a drunk driving charge, please visit our page.