When we think about the new electrical cars we hear the terms “autonomous” or “self-driving cars” a lot. However, are these cars truly self-driving or autonomous? Malcolm Gladwell, in his article found in Cars and Drivers, makes the argument that these cars are not truly autonomous. These cars rely on formulas, algorithms, and networks to drive the car. Gladwell argues that this is taking the control out of the hands of the driver and placing it into a network. This ... Read More »
Drunk-Driving Simulation Suit
Beer goggles and drunk leg and arm weights – this “drunk-suit” simulates what it feels like to be drunk while you are sober. Ford has teamed up with scientific engineers to create this drunk-suit to teach teens what it feels like to drive drunk. Over one million teens have already been trained with this suit and the training is completely free. At least 28 people a day die from alcohol related car accidents. Ford hopes to make a difference and ... Read More »
New Tostitos Party Bag Detects Alcohol and Gets You Home Safely
Super Bowl Sunday is fast approaching. In 2015, 45 people were killed on Super Bowl Sunday in drunk-driving accidents. Frito-Lay hopes to reduce the number of impaired drivers on the road this Sunday with their new “Tostitos Party Bag.” A micro-controller installed in the bag detects small traces of alcohol in your breath. After detecting alcohol, the bag will either show a green circle or a red steering wheel depending on whether alcohol is detected. If alcohol is detected the ... Read More »
Mississippi DUI Charges: Which State Courts Are They Filed In?
Mississippi DUI Charges: Which State Courts Are They Filed In? I am often asked by folks unfamiliar with the subject various questions regarding which court one must go to if charged with a DUI in Mississippi. Those are fair questions (usually), as the Mississippi state court system consists of a myriad of trial and appellate courts for civil, criminal, and family law cases. So, if you are indeed accused of a DUI charge in Mississippi, which of the various trial ... Read More »
Nervous Equals Drunk?
According to the “DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST)” manuals that are produced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), some of the post-stop “clues” of impairment that officers are trained to look for include fumbling with or having trouble retrieving and producing a driver’s license, registration, or proof of insurance. Such actions are, seemingly, indications of driver impairment from alcohol or drugs, or both. Recently, a Montana driver allegedly had a great deal of trouble producing ... Read More »
Trial by Jury, an Important Aspect of Our Legal System, is Disappearing
In a New York Times Article the Judiciary is quoted as saying that the criminal trial is becoming a rare occurrence in the American courtroom. A national reduction in the number of trials, “both criminal and civil, has been noted in law journal articles, bar association studies and judicial opinions.” This trend is a loss for the American Justice System because it is common knowledge that our system is one where justice is handed out by a jury of our ... Read More »
What is “Drunk Driving” in Mississippi?
“Drunk driving” is a loosely used phrase throughout the country. Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Students Against Drunk Driving. Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving. [Insert the name of a celebrity or athlete] Busted for Drunk Driving! The organizations, slogans, and headlines aside, is “drunk driving” really what our law says is a crime? No. Actually, our law – specifically Mississippi law – criminalizes “driving the under the influence,” most commonly referred to as “DUI.” One can drive under the influence without ... Read More »
The Guilty Plea Trap
Society (potential employers) will all check your background prior to allowing you to pass on that path of your life that brought you to them. This includes employers, military, and literally everyone in your future involving employment, finance, life insurance, car insurance, credit report, house and vehicle purchases; schools, both primary and college and professional schools. These background checks may be by both law enforcement and private sector data bases. Arrest/ Conviction records are absolute career ending events. Most folks ... Read More »
Police Aren’t Above The Law
An officer of the law in Lake County, Indiana, faces the charges of Driving Under the Influence and is the cause of a hit-and-run accident. The Indiana State Police stated that “Lieutenant Guy Mikulich was in an unmarked police car” while driving on Sunday at 4:48 p.m. when he hit a 34-year-old man who was standing outside by his vehicle on Oak Avenue in Miller Beach. Officer Mikulich is a 16-year veteran of the sheriff’s department and had been working ... Read More »
To Test Or Not To Test
Judge Christine Ward of Pennsylvania was cited for DUI over the weekend after admitting to state troopers that she had too much to drink. The Judge, who works on civil litigation cases, has been accused of being intoxicated while driving. According to WPXI of Pittsburg, Judge Ward “staggered as she walked…and at one point Ward fell to her side.” During the incident, Judge Ward was observed by the police to have “exhibited difficulty standing on her own as she leaned ... Read More »