Mississippi law enforcement officers are likely to be watching the roads carefully as people enjoy the upcoming holiday season.
It is no secret that the roads are crowded over the holidays, and law enforcement officers know this. It is also no secret that drinking is a way people choose to celebrate.
While there is nothing wrong with this in itself, holidays are times during which the country sees more accidents related to drunk driving. As a consequence, during the holidays, there is more concentrated enforcement of drunk driving laws.
Of course, the best way to avoid a DUI arrest over the holidays is not to drive drunk. However, what sometimes gets lost is the difficulty with judging how much alcohol was too much or how long one must wait before driving.
Many good citizens with no prior record make the mistake of getting behind the wheel while over the legal limit. Also, frequently, whether to stop a person for suspected DUI and even whether to make an arrest can boil down to a subjective judgment call on the part of the police.
A person who does get accused of DUI over the holidays should know their options
Getting arrested for and charged with a DUI over the holidays can put a real damper on the whole season. The criminal penalties even for a first-time DUI with no aggravating circumstances are serious.
They can include jail and fines, and they will likely include a license suspension or restriction as well as hefty costs and fees. A person’s insurance rates will go up, and the person will have to explain the criminal conviction on their record.
Even if a resident of Gulfport or Biloxi knows they made a mistake, they should still make sure they understand their rights and alternatives so they can move on more quickly. In some situations, though, police and prosecutors may over-step the law or may fail to connect all the dots in their case.