Kansas City Missouri Criminal Defense Blog

Panel issues recommendations to make roads safer

On behalf of The Law Office of Andrew T. Christie, LLC posted in dui on Thursday, January 10, 2019.

A report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine offered a variety of ways to keep roads throughout Missouri and the rest of America safer. One of those suggestions was to reduce the legal blood alcohol limit to .05 percent from the current .08 percent. Other recommendations included raising alcohol taxes and making alcohol harder to get. This could be done by limiting where and when it could be sold to customers.

Putting limits on how alcohol could be marketed may also have an impact on society's drinking habits. Finally, the report says that more should be done to make sure that those who are intoxicated or are under 21 are not served. According to the Distilled Spirits Council, many of these measures will have little impact on traffic safety. The group specifically singled out the idea to reduce the blood alcohol threshold to .05 percent.

What if the police don’t read your rights?

On behalf of The Law Office of Andrew T. Christie, LLC on Friday, January 4, 2019.

On TV, when the police arrest someone, the officer will start off by saying, "You are under arrest, you have the right to remain silent..." Most of us know that a police officer reading someone their rights is important, but what happens if they don't?

Understanding what happens during a person's first DUI arrest

On behalf of The Law Office of Andrew T. Christie, LLC posted in dui on Thursday, December 27, 2018.

For drivers in Missouri, getting their first DUI can be an overwhelming and terrifying experience. When a person is charged with a DUI, it means that they are being accused of driving while being under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

In many cases, a person could expect to be arrested and serve some jail time. Depending on the circumstances, a judge may allow an individual to leave jail after they have paid bail. Later, they may need to go to court for a hearing that may result in them losing their license, paying fines, or spending additional time in jail.

Stress and culture may explain veteran drinking rates

On behalf of The Law Office of Andrew T. Christie, LLC posted in dui on Monday, December 10, 2018.

Binge drinking and drunk driving is having a significant impact on veterans in Missouri and throughout the country. In 2016, the percentage of veterans who drove while under the influence of alcohol was 2.5 percent according to a study by the American Addiction Centers. That was a 60 percent increase from 2014, and male veterans were more likely to drive drunk than female veterans. California, Kentucky and Washington, D.C., were the three states where this was most likely to happen.

One of the reasons that veterans seem to be drinking more in recent years has to do with stress and the impact of PTSD. Officially, up to 20 percent of those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have PTSD. However, the actual number could be as high as 30 percent. In some cases, veterans drink alcohol in an effort to self-medicate even though that is likely to make the problem worse.

Missouri DUI laws regarding commercial vehicle drivers

On behalf of The Law Office of Andrew T. Christie, LLC posted in dui on Friday, November 30, 2018.

Commercial vehicle drivers can be facing a different situation than other motorists when accused of drunk driving. This is due to the special rules Missouri DUI law has in place when it comes to commercial vehicles.

For one, there are special rules regarding BAC limits. For most drivers here in Missouri, the BAC threshold that automatically triggers a DUI offense is 0.08. However, when a person is driving a commercial vehicle, he or she is subject to a lower limit. It is against the law for a person to drive a commercial vehicle in the state with a BAC of 0.04 or higher.

How to get a suspended license back after DWI

On behalf of The Law Office of Andrew T. Christie, LLC on Sunday, November 25, 2018.

Missouri drivers can have their licenses suspended for a multitude of reasons: Reckless driving, speeding and having too many points on your driver’s license. However, one of the most common reasons that Missouri drivers have their licenses suspended is for driving while intoxicated (DWI) by alcohol or drugs.

One of the penalties for a DWI includes license suspension or revocation. In order to regain your driving privileges after a DWI conviction, you must complete or serve the administrative penalties laid out by Missouri law.