Category Archives: DUI
DUI in a Vehicle Using Autopilot or Advanced Driver Assistance
A car that steers, maintains speed, changes lanes, or follows a navigation route can make driving feel very different from sitting behind the wheel of a traditional vehicle. After drinking or taking an impairing drug, that technology can also create a dangerous misconception: if the vehicle is doing much of the work, the person… Read More »
Retrograde Extrapolation and Attempts to Calculate BAC Backward in Time
A blood or breath test taken after a DUI arrest measures alcohol concentration at the time of testing. Prosecutors sometimes want to go further and estimate what the driver’s blood alcohol concentration may have been earlier, including at the time the vehicle was being driven. That process is commonly called retrograde extrapolation. It can… Read More »
Chain of Custody Problems in a Georgia DUI Blood Test
A blood test result can look precise on a Georgia DUI report. The laboratory identifies a blood alcohol concentration or a particular drug, and prosecutors may present that number as objective scientific evidence. Before a laboratory can test anything, though, a vial of blood has to pass through multiple hands and locations. The sample… Read More »
Automatic License Plate Readers Can Build a Timeline Before a DUI Stop
A DUI investigation often begins with what an officer sees immediately before the traffic stop. Automatic license plate reader data can reach further back, showing that a vehicle passed cameras at different locations earlier in the evening. Several time-stamped detections may allow prosecutors to reconstruct part of the vehicle’s movement before the arrest. Several… Read More »
Can You Be Charged With DUI While Sitting in a Parked Car?
A Georgia DUI arrest does not always begin with an officer watching a car travel down the road. Police may find someone asleep behind the wheel in a parking lot, sitting in a vehicle on the shoulder, or waiting in a car after drinking. By the time the officer arrives, the engine may be… Read More »
Opioid DUI Allegations in Georgia and the Difference Between Use and Impairment
An opioid DUI arrest can begin with a familiar situation: a driver has taken medication for pain, and a blood test later shows an opioid. Police may treat that result as evidence the driver was unsafe behind the wheel. The scientific and legal picture can be considerably more complicated. Opioids can affect alertness, judgment,… Read More »
How Ignition Interlock Data Can Create New Evidence After a Georgia DUI Case
An ignition interlock device can keep generating information long after the DUI case that led to its installation has moved beyond the initial proceedings. Failed starts, rolling retests, service visits, and provider reports can create a continuing record during the interlock period. If a problem develops, that record may affect driving privileges or raise… Read More »
What Happens When a Driver Refuses a Breath Test in Georgia?
After a Georgia DUI arrest, an officer may ask the driver to take a state-administered breath test. That request can come after a roadside investigation that already included a handheld breath device, making the two tests easy to confuse. Refusing the state-administered test leaves the case without that breath-alcohol result, but it does not… Read More »
How an Officer’s Arrest Decision Can Be Challenged in a Georgia DUI Case
A driver may be stopped for speeding, drifting across a lane marker, or another traffic violation. Within minutes, the conversation can turn to alcohol, field sobriety exercises, and a possible DUI arrest. By the time the handcuffs go on, the officer has decided that the roadside investigation produced enough evidence to take the driver… Read More »
Georgia DUI Blood Test Warrants: How Probable Cause and Lab Process Challenges Work
Blood tests are often used in Georgia DUI investigations when law enforcement suspects impairment by alcohol or drugs. Unlike breath tests, blood testing typically requires either the driver’s consent or a search warrant issued by a judge. Anyone facing these types of allegations should connect with a dedicated Atlanta DUI defense attorney who understands… Read More »