DUI News Digest

A court ruling says Arizona prosecutors can’t use the results of warrantless blood-alcohol tests as evidence against people who are threatened with arrest when they refuse to go to a hospital. The state Court of Appeals on Thursday overturned a woman’s convictions and ordered that she be given a new trial in a drunken-driving case in Yavapai County. Read More »

Get arrested for DUI in Pennsylvania, and you’re more likely to wind up back on the road drunk than in most other states. A March study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that across the country, about one in every four people who were convicted for drunken driving was a repeat offender. Read More »

Detroit Pistons forward Greg Monroe was suspended without pay by the NBA today for the first two games of the upcoming regular season. Monroe pleaded guilty to impaired driving April 23 stemming from a February incident in Huntington Woods, according to Oak Park 45th District Court documents. Read More »

LANCASTER – Witnesses at a state Senate committee hearing Monday called for a dramatic strengthening of DUI laws, saying current statutes are too weak to stop repeat offenders who endanger everyone. Patrick Crowley, whose 24-year-old son Liam was killed last year by a man prosecutors called the worst drunk driver in Chester County, testified that people are dying because of Pennsylvania’s lax laws. Read More »

As the NFL and NFLPA continue to not have a deal on a new, comprehensive drug policy, some more facts have emerged regarding what the league specifically has proposed. As to the claim that the NFL wants players to be suspended for DUI arrests before their legal cases have ended, a source with knowledge of the negotiations tells PFT that the NFL has proposed a one-game deactivation with pay for the next game after any DUI arrest.  It’s not a ... Read More »

SCHODACK, N.Y. — David Cassidy seemed to be in light spirits as he walked into the court building, even sharing some words of gratitude for his fans. But, his voice quickly adopted a sober tone. “It’s a disease that affects hundreds of millions of people around the world,” he said. The former Partridge family star admitted to being one of those suffering from alcoholism. A DUI charge was the reason why he was in court Wednesday. But, after his court ... Read More »

Members of the National Transportation Safety Board are lobbying Virginia and other states to reduce the threshold for drunk driving to 0.05 from the current national standard of 0.08. NTSB member Mark Rosekind made the pitch again Wednesday in New England, at a conference moderated by the area’s American Automobile Association. Rosekind make a similar presentation to Hampton Roads police officers at a Virginia Beach conference earlier this year. Supporters say the tougher standard will save lives, but critics say ... Read More »

WASHINGTON — As states liberalize their marijuana laws, public officials and safety advocates worry that more drivers high on pot will lead to a big increase in traffic deaths. Researchers who have studied the issue, though, are divided on the question. Studies of marijuana’s effects show that the drug can slow decision-making, decrease peripheral vision and impede multitasking, all of which are critical driving skills. But unlike with alcohol, drivers high on pot tend to be aware that they are impaired ... Read More »

SPOKANE, Wash. – While people driving high have always been a concern, it’s even more so now that legal weed is so accessible. The Washington Transportation Safety Commission is going to extra lengths to inform people that driving high is a crime. “Our deputies are actually seeing an increase in drivers under the influence of marijuana,” Spokane Valley Police Chief Rick VanLeuven said. He said that it’s been a busy year for his officers in the Spokane Valley. Only eight ... Read More »

ANGLETON, Texas (AP) – A jury on Wednesday acquitted a southeast Texas man of murder in the fatal shooting of a drunken driver who had just caused an accident that killed the man’s two sons. David Barajas cried after the verdict was read and he hugged his wife, Cindy, who was also crying. He could have been sentenced to up to life in prison, if he had been convicted. Read More »