DUI Checkpoints Assist California’s Financial Crisis

A recent story published on AlterNet.org describes the economic incentives behind the increasing number of DUI checkpoints in California, particularly in Orange and L.A. County. The federal government provides the California Office of Traffic Safety about $100 million each year to promote responsible driving that reduces roadway deaths. Of that, $30 million goes into programs that fund drunken driving crackdowns, particularly checkpoints. Read more

Stopped for DUI? Say NO to Field Sobriety Tests! (Part II)

If a driver is pulled over in Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Long Beach or Santa Ana on a routine traffic stop and the police officer suspect’s intoxication, it is generally standard practice for the officer to request the driver to step out of the vehicle to perform field sobriety tests. To the officer and attorneys, these tests are otherwise known as “FST’s”. The driver is asked to perform simple physical or cognitive tests to assist the officer in determining the sobriety of the driver. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) guidelines were set up to help make these tests more accurate. They are now called ’standardized field sobriety tests.’ Read more