Recently in Understanding DUI / Research Category

A study conducted by the Institute for the Study of Labor recently concluded that states with medical marijuana laws may have safer roads, according to Time.

Researchers from the Institute reportedly found that the states (and the District of Columbia) that have legalized medical marijuana saw a 9 percent decrease in fatal car wrecks from 1990 to 2009. Arizona recently passed Proposition 203 which allows Arizona medical marijuana cardholders to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana at a time.

The holiday season is usually a time of giving, celebrating, and feasting until your pants pop and you are passed out on the bed in a food coma. But the joyous occasion of holiday feasting could lead to a not-very-merry holiday DUI if you aren’t careful.

Hidden Dangers:

The number of calories on your overloaded plate shouldn’t be the only thing you worry about during a holiday feast. The food could contain potential alcohol traps you may not be aware of.

Nodding off behind the wheel could be just as bad as downing one-too-many beers beforehand, according to studies. Because driving-while-sleepy isn’t against the law, Arizona companies and organizations are partnering up to educate motorists about the dangerous practice through Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, reports ABC15 News.

“In many ways, driving drowsy is similar to driving drunk. Awareness decreases, reaction time slows, judgment is impaired, and your risk of crashing skyrockets,” said Linda Gorman, director of communications and public affairs for AAA Arizona.

It's safe to say most people hate giving blood. It's even a surer bet that most people hate giving blood after being pulled over for a DUI. However, blood alcohol tests can be the difference between freedom and a night in the drunk tank. Here are five things you should know about blood alcohol tests and that all-important blood alcohol concentration (BAC) percentage.

Arizona residents, like drivers in every state, have had an increasing number of problems with driving under the influence of drugs, or drugged driving, over the past several years. Yet, many are still unaware that drugged driving in Arizona could lead to serious consequences, much less that it is illegal even if they have a prescription for the drug.

Complicating the rampant use of drugs while driving are the difficulties law enforcement faces when trying to get DUI convictions after the driver is caught, reports azfamily.com.

You didn't mean for it to happen. One-or-two drinks turned into one-too-many, and suddenly you find yourself on the side of the road with an officer shining a light on you as you perform a sobriety test. You wish you hadn't gotten into the car, and now you may have to deal with the consequences of a DUI arrest. But should you deal with it alone?

Hiring a Phoenix DUI attorney to represent you can be pricey, but facing the full consequences of a DUI conviction can be even more severe. Here are a few things to consider when you've been arrested for a DUI:

If you're planning to go out and have drinks in Tucson on this year's Fourth of July, then you may want to consider taking a ride on the Tipsy Tow so that you and your vehicle can get home safely. Arizona Daily Star reports that AAA Arizona is offering this free-ride home service on Sunday so that DUI accidents can easily be avoided.

Tucson drinkers can call 1-800-222-4357 from 6 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Monday and request a Tipsy Tow, which will give drivers and their passenger a free ride plus a free one-way tow to their destination. The best part is that this service is free of charge and doesn't require an AAA membership.

Even with tough DUI laws in Arizona, alcohol consumption in the Grand Canyon state was up in 2010, compared to 2009. According to The Arizona Republic, the 2011 National Brewers Almanac from the Beer Institute in Washington found that the average Arizonian drank 22 gallons of beer last year, which is slightly less than half of a pint per day. Consumption of spirits was also on the rise in 2010, along with overall alcoholic beverage sales in the state.

The average Arizonan drank 1.63 gallons of distilled spirits in 2010, which is an increase from the average of 1.48 gallons per year in 2009. Local breweries are gaining business, even during the economic recession, along with neighborhood bars.

The legal blood-alcohol content limit for driving in Arizona is .08 percent. But a newly released study by the University of California, San Diego found that even driving with a .01 percent BAC level can be dangerous.

According to NBC Bay Area, the study found that even blood-alcohol levels below the legal limit are associated with injury and death-related vehicle accidents. To be specific, the study’s coauthor David Phillips found that accidents are 36.6 percent more severe even when alcohol was barely detectable in a driver’s blood.

Within just an 11-day period, an Arizona driver was cited not once, but twice for DUI. A Tucson doctor was apparently arrested the first time on May 15 in Casa Grande after allegedly driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level of .265 percent. According to Tri Valley Central, the DUI suspect, Merilyn Goldschmid, was seen stumbling to her car in a Walmart parking lot and then hitting a curb when driving off.

Goldschmid was cited for DUI after a witness called police, but then just 11 days later on May 26, the suspect was in a car accident in the 1800 block of East Florence Boulevard. After the accident, police found that Goldschmid registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.270. Hence, she was cited for DUI, super extreme DUI, and failure to yield from a private drive.