Christmas and New Years - DUI time?

This evening ( the day after Christmas ), I was driving with my family down Peachtree Industrial Blvd. in Gwinnett County and I saw not fewer than 4 law enforcement patrol cars in the few miles between Suwanee and Duluth. It seems that Gwinnett County police officers, along with their fellow City of Suwanee and City of Duluth officers, are out on the hunt for those driving under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription drugs and over the counter medications. DUI arrests are high this time of year which is ironically the time of year when fewest people can afford the stigma and expense of a DUI arrest.

Gwinnett County cops cannot just pull over cars and accuse the driver of DUI. There needs to be an underlying basis for the stop. Unfortunately, any offense will do--- usually it is the offense of weaving or failing to maintain a lane or speeding. Sometimes it is a wrong way turn or stop light or sign violation. Other times it can be truly head scratching - things like being stopped for having windows that are tinted too dark - when it is the night time and there is really no way that an officer can tell that the windows are of the wrong tint grade. No seatbelt and tag light violations are other minor offense that make you wonder how the officer noticed these infractions. Once the officer has you stopped, if he smells any alcohol, he will probably begin a DUI line of questioning. He looks for things like slurred speech or red and/or watery eyes. A Gwinnett officer may then ask you to take some field sobriety tests. Many Gwinnett County DUI task force officers, as well as Suwanee and Duluth officers are trained in giving the standardized field sobriety tests which consist of an eye test, a walk the line and turn test, and a stand on one foot test. At the end, many of those stopped find themselves in handcuffs and on the way to a Gwinnett County jail.

DUI cases can be contested. Call Gwinnett County DUI attorney Lawson today if you are facing a Gwinnett DUI arrest or an arrest in a Gwinnett County municipality such as Suwanee or Duluth. Most cases begin in a traffic court but all can be contested with a jury trial on the DUI in the State Court of Gwinnett County. Mr. Lawson can help you get the best results. Call him today to discuss your case.