Driving While Impaired
It’s no secret that driving while impaired (DWI) is a very serious crime. Penalties for DWI include jail time, fines, license suspension, community service, alcohol treatment, and more. Additionally, the more prior offenses you have on your record, the more severe the punishments you’ll face.
Driving while impaired doesn’t make you a bad person, but it is a serious lapse in judgment. My name is Angela Arellanes, I’m an attorney in Albuquerque with over 25 years of experience in the criminal justice field. If you’ve been accused of driving while impaired, Angela Arellanes Law can help make sense of the charges against you to ensure your rights are fully protected.
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How Does Being Drunk Impair a Person’s Driving Ability?
After driving for so many years, it almost becomes second-nature. However, all the driving skill and ability you possess goes out the window the more drinks you have. People driving while inebriated often experience:
- Decreased Coordination – Hand-eye coordination is an essential skill when driving. From the first two drinks this ability is diminished, which impacts multiple areas when driving a vehicle. For example, you may have trouble signaling a lane change, which can result in a collision between you and another vehicle.
- Slowed Reaction Time – Should an unexpected road hazard pop up in front of you, a swift reaction is needed to avoid a major accident. When senses are dulled by alcohol, your ability to react appropriately will be severely compromised.
- Problems Processing Information – Information is made available through all your senses. When drunk, your brain may not be able to process information from your eyes as quickly as possible, which leads to missed red lights and ignored stop signs. You may also miss auditory cues, such as honking horns.
- Decreased Multi-Tasking Ability – Driving is all about multi-tasking, whether you’re changing lanes, making a turn, or navigating traffic. If you can’t handle two tasks at once due to inebriation, you probably won’t be able to operate your vehicle safely and effectively.
What Steps Should I Take After a DWI Arrest?
My firm is poised and ready to act on behalf of clients accused of DWI. I’ve been instrumental in helping clients in the past facing the same charges, and in some cases I was able to get these charges dropped completely. The sooner we began, the more you can rest assured that your case is in good hands.