Throughout the entirety of the COVID-19 pandemic, drug and alcohol use has risen sharply. According to Jonathan Metzl, director of the department of medicine at Vanderbilt University, the increase in drinking and drug use is “just kind of understandable.” The stresses of joblessness, illness, child-care, work, and countless other stressors has pushed most people to a point where they have no outlet. In a recent study, alcohol consumption has increased for nearly everyone since the start of the pandemic.

Chart of Alcohol Sales (year over year) -U.S. Statistica

Stress Drinking

With this increase in pandemic stress and alcohol and drug consumption comes mistakes. Stress can lead nearly anyone to make a thoughtless or careless decision, it does not make it right, but it does happen. Parents are overloaded with teaching their children from home, working eight or more hours from home while teaching, cooking, cleaning, and trying to manage to have relationships. This is all occurring without the option for an outlet. Metzl goes on saying, “This is an incredible, once-in-an-epoch stressful situation, and the kinds of outlets people usually have in their lives are just not available.”

Consequences

With the rise in alcohol and drug consumption naturally comes people making mistakes. Driving under the influence is a serious crime with serious consequences, and the courts have not simply forgotten this because it is a difficult time. If you have been arrested for DWI or DUI in Buffalo NY, it is important to retain an experienced DWI defense attorney.

A Strong Defense

An experienced DWI defense attorney will know how to defend their client and know what type of defense will be most effective for their clients' unique charges. We have gone more in depth into a drivers' rights when they are pulled over for a sobriety check in our previous blog, but here are the most common defenses.

• Depending on the charges, the chemical tests that were administered to determine if the driver was driving under the influence may be called into question. Challenging the chemical tests is a common practice because the range of results from a breathalyzer can vary greatly, which brings into question the validity of the test results that prompted the arrest.
• Whether or not the reason a client was stopped legally is an important detail of the case. If an officer pulls someone over without probable cause, or said probable cause is questionable, the traffic stop itself may be deemed unlawful, and a case may be dismissed.
• As discussed in the blog referenced above, field sobriety tests are generally not reliable and when a driver is pulled over is it legal to POLITELY and RESPECTFULLY decline the officers request to perform field sobriety tests. With this known, if a DWI or DUI charge has been made simply from, or in place of, a breathalyzer, the field sobriety tests themselves may be called into question as a reasonable basis for the charges.

Get Back on Track

These are incredibly stressful times for everyone. At DuBois Law, we understand that this stress has caused many people to try to unwind with a few drinks but drinking and driving is a serious crime and should not be taken lightly. If your drinking has gotten a little out of hand and you need to get back on track, there are many helpful outlets and groups in the Buffalo NY and WNY areas. If you have been arrested for DUI DWI or DWAI, DuBois Law understands what you are going through, but it will not just go away.

Facing DWI charges is serious and retaining the help of an attorney with years of experience and a track record for getting drivers the best possible outcome is necessary to fight the charges. Take control of what is going on with confidence in your attorney-- give DuBois law a FREE call today at (888) 684-8589 or leave your information here and DuBois law will contact you to get you back on track.