5 tips to avoid becoming a 2017 DUI holiday statistic!

St. Louis DUI attorney

We all want some good news to inspire more gratitude this Thanksgiving weekend.  But the 2016 statistics for drunk-driving deaths are in, and the news is grim — drunk drivers were the number one killer, chalking up 10,497 fatalities according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. (www.nhtsa.gov)

This does not include the bloodshed, pain, tears, and lives forever changed due to drunk-driving injuries. Those stories often go untold. The truth is this: drinking and driving just don’t mix! 

The AAA predicts that 2017 will be the busiest Thanksgiving travel season since 2005.  Busier highways and more congestion equals more travel risk, right?

http://newsroom.aaa.com/2017/11/nearly-51-million-americans-travel-thanksgiving-highest-volume-dozen-years/

While you cannot control the other drivers on the road,  here’s how to reduce your own risk:

1.)  Gonna kick back and enjoy that beer,  Grandpa’s “secret recipe”, or a glass of fine wine?  You know the drill.  Don’t leave home without a designated driver.  If you get stopped while your blood alcohol content is over the legal limit in Missouri  (.04 BAC),  you’re facing a license suspension or much, much worse!

Consider the holiday mood of the police officer and the judge! They’ve seen too many alcohol-related deaths and injuries. Their view of you is likely to be very dim — don’t expect leniency!  After all, the 2016 drunk driving statistics are grim.

2.) Sadly, the next highest 2016 NHTSA fatality statistic is due to not wearing seatbelts. Please BUCKLE up for highway safety. 

Seatbelts are one of your lines of car accident defense. You can count on sharing the road with people driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or both!

Be sure to spy on your kids while traveling. They have a way of sneaking out of seat-belts when you least expect it.

3.) Allow extra travel time.

According to the 2017 AAA holiday travel predictions, getting places around congested cities could easily take THREE times as long as normal.

That lovely half hour trip across St. Louis to visit your in-laws?   Think about highway congestion and weigh your options.  What are the normal hotspots for traffic back-ups?   Having an alternate travel plan could be safer and healthier for your blood pressure.

Not cooking dinner, but want to enjoy a wonderful place to share a delicious Thanksgiving meal? There’s sure to be a nearby place to please you and avoid some of that traffic!  St. Louis has much to offer: https://explorestlouis.com/12-places-thanksgiving-dinner-st-louis-2017

4.)  Have a roadside assistance plan in place.

If you have any sort of auto-related accident, you’ll be happy you had your roadside assistance current and up-to-date.  Adding their number to your contacts in your cell-phone is one great way to make sure you don’t leave home without it!

5.) Avoid drunk drivers by not driving late at night.

The National Safety Council’s research shows that the risk of a fatal crash is three times greater at night,  and that 50% of traffic fatalities occur after dark!  Add late night gatherings with family and friends to this mix.  Alcohol and fatigue are a deadly driving combination.

If you are involved in a car accident over the holiday weekend, don’t wait to call your car accident lawyer.  

http://steimel-law.com/traffic-matters.html

For an experienced traffic accident attorney serving the greater St. Louis area, call  The Law Offices of Nathan A. Steimel, LLC at 636-244-3737.   HINT: put this number in your contacts’ list, too.  Better safe than sorry!

Attorney Steimel will give you a FREE initial consultaton.  Now that’s something to be grateful for!

This website is designed for general information only. The information presented on this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice or the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.

Zero tolerance laws and your teen driver

Parents of a tween? Who’s ready for them to drive? Any hands raised? Um, not mine!

Reality check — one day I’m going to blink and my daughter’s going to be a teenager proudly flaunting her very own driver’s license.  I can feel my hair turning grey just thinking about it.

Now’s the time to start educating your up and coming driver about the dangers they face when they get behind the wheel.

Let’s put alcohol near the top of that list of dangers! You don’t have to parent too long before you start hearing the horror stories.  Tragically, one in ten highschoolers drink and drive according to Center for Disease Control.(https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/teendrinkinganddriving/index.html)

GOOD NEWS!  Teen drinking and driving has reduced more than 50% since the 1990s. 

Zero tolerance laws may play a role in this.  I also like to think that parents are stepping up to the plate and educating their teens.

Hello! I didn’t even know about zero tolerance laws before researching and writing this post . Drinking and driving has never been an issue in my family, so I just hadn’t paid attention.  I’d like to hope drinking and driving never will be an issue for us, but our kids don’t come with guarantees, do they?

You need to be armed and ready with the facts about Missouri law and teen drinking and driving! 

FACT # 1: Zero tolerance laws for drinking and driving under age 21 exist in all fifty states, not just Missouri.

Moving to Illinois will not help! Moving anywhere will not help.  Tell your teen home sweet home is still the best option (or dorm sweet dorm).

FACT #2: Beware of one beer! That’s right. One measly beer and driving could seriously mess up your teen’s life and plans. ONE glass of wine, one cup of hard cider — you name it. Zero tolerance means zero.
NO blood alcohol content permitted!

FACT #3: Under zero tolerance laws, consequences are harsh!  Take a minute to read your teens this news, even if you get the eyerolls.
One online driving course for teens (www.teendrivingcourse.com) listed the following possible results of a first time DUI offense in Missouri.

  • Possible jail time of up to 6 months (That’s more than half a school year.)
  • If you’re lucky, a license restricture of 60 days.
  • $45 License Reinstatement fee – there goes your allowance!
  • Possible $500 fine – now you’re out of a few paychecks IF you can still get to work!
  • Possible Ignition Interlock Device installation — more money, more time, more hassle.
  • License suspension 30 days — if you’re not in jail, you  still can’t go anywhere!

Does this sound like a nightmare to your teen? It should!

Talk to your early teen driver. Ask them some thought-provoking questions.

How would it feel to have to get pulled over when they’ve had  just one beer?

What would it be like to dread facing a judge in court?

Worse yet,  can they imagine spending time in jail?

Do they want to graduate with their class or start college soon?

What about losing their driving privileges? Would that cost them their job? Their employment records might be trashed!

Is one drink really worth all this shame and sorrow?

Knowing the consequences of the zero-tolerance teen drinking and driving laws  just might change your teen’s mind about having a drink.

Sometimes we have to learn our lessons the hard way! If your teen is already facing a DUI charge, you need an aggressive, experienced Missouri DUI attorney!    http://steimel-law.com/traffic-matters.html

The Law Offices of Nathan A. Steimel, LLC  understand what is at stake for a young person under 21 facing DUI charges.

It’s worth a free initial consultation to see if you can get a life-time of consequences reduced!  You will get a fair and thorough evaluation of your teen’s case and the best possible outcome.  Call  636-244-3737 today for your free case evaluation.

This website is designed for general information only. The information presented on this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice or the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.

 

 

 

 

 

What you don’t know about a DUI could RUIN your weekend and more…

What you didn’t know about a DUI could ruin your weekend!

Graduations, weddings, Memorial Day weekend — there’s a lot of
reasons to party just around the corner. You work hard to be free
to enjoy your weekends, right?

There’s a lot to celebrate, too, with winter behind us.

So don’t let one too many celebratory beers ruin your weekend
plans, especially if you already have a DUI on your record.

Here’s what could happen. Say you’re on your way home from
that great barbecue. You see the flashing lights behind you. You
weren’t even speeding! What!? Maybe a tail light was out?

Suddenly you remember you had more than one drink at that
barbecue. You’re not drunk. But that won’t matter if your BAC
(blood alcohol content) is above .08!

Not only do you stand to have your license suspended, you may end up paying $400 hard-earned dollars to lose your weekend! Yes. You will most likely be required to attend a Weekend Intervention Program, described as a “marathon weekend of structured activities.”

http://www.modwi.com/SATOP-WIP.asp

And yes, you will have to pay for it out of your pocket. There are
surely fifty other ways you would love to spend $400!
The program is 48 consecutive hours long, designed to make you
“feel the heat”.

Now that’s not a wonderful summer’s heat. While
your friends are out enjoying the next celebration, you will be in
the hot seat.

There’s more bad news. This weekend intervention program is
just the beginning, depending on your record. You will be evaluated for your ongoing need for counseling. Try to fit that in while working a 9 to 5 job!

Without legal help for a second DUI you are also very likely to lose
your driver’s license in the state of Missouri.

http://dor.mo.gov/drivers/RDP_alcohol.php

How are you going to get to work? Pay the bills?
Even worse, you will have to jump through some serious hoops to
get your driver’s license reinstated. Not fun explaining that to
your boss.

Imagine having to bum a daily ride off of friends and family for an
entire year. I helped a friend one summer who lost her license for
three months. It was so humiliating for her, just trying to get to work or get her children to where they needed to be.

With this heap of trouble, no one’s going to be celebrating!

You need a lawyer who cares about your future.

You need an experienced DUI lawyer whose fees will not bankrupt you while he defends you in court. The Law Offices of Nathan A. Steimel, LLC, are here to help.

http://steimel-law.com/dwi.html

With many years of experience defending DUI under his belt,
Attorney Steimel is very good at evaluating your case. He will let
you know honestly what he thinks the outcome will be.

He will vigorously fight for your rights in court.

You have much more to lose than your weekend! Your good name and your driving privileges are on the line if you are facing a DUI.

You have too much at stake! So pick up the phone and call a caring, local DUI lawyer in Missouri for a free consultation today. The Law Offices of Nathan A. Steimel, LLC,  are here to help! (636)244-3737. Check us out on the web at: http://steimel-law.com

 

This website is designed for general information only. The information presented on this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice or the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.