Alcohol often impairs a person’s judgment. Add alcohol to operating heavy machinery, like a car, and it has the potential to lead to a serious, tragic situation. Thus, Louisiana authorities have enforced very strict guidelines in order to prevent car accidents related to alcohol. Numerous public awareness campaigns have been established and initiated in order to make the public aware of various dangers and risks of getting behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated.
Initially, people need to understand the legal definition of drunk driving. Whenever an adult, non-commercial driver has a blood alcohol concentration of over 0.08 percent or a commercial driver has a BAC over 0.04 percent, that person has exceeded the legal permissible level of alcohol in the blood stream. Furthermore, any driver below the drinking age of 21 years is subject to penalties if any amount of alcohol is in that person’s system.
If a driver has been in a car collision, police generally have the legal right to stop the driver in order to determine the cause of the car accident. If the authorities are suspicious that alcohol was involved in the car accident, they can inquire to see if anyone in the car was drunk while driving. Furthermore, police can also try to determine if there are any paraphernalia, such as bottles and cans, which contain alcohol.
In the event that there is enough preliminary evidence for police to make a case for a drunk driving accident, the drunk driver may be arrested on DWI charges. However, if the drunk driver caused injury or even death to another, a civil lawsuit can also hold that negligent individual accountable. A Lafayette car accident attorney can provide legal advice in such a situation.
Source: DUI.FINDLAW.com, “Drunk driving accidents,” Accessed on Aug. 26, 2015