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Accident Reconstruction Research: Drunk Driving / DUI / DWI

Information | Gaze Nystagmus | Organizations

Information

Fatality Facts - Progress has been made during the past 20 years to reduce the proportion of fatally injured drivers with blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) at or above 0.08 percent. Proportions are lower in all age groups and among vehicle drivers. There also has been a substantial decline among those with very high BACs (at or above 0.15 percent), who often are assumed to be "hard-core" drinking drivers. However, progress has stalled in recent years and alcohol-impaired driving is still a major problem.

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California Drunk Driving - Advocacy, rehabilitation, and legal defense aspects of DUI and DUI laws in California. DMV resources and DUI education.

Alcohol in General - Questions and answers about BAC and other general alcohol questions.

Free Advice - What is Drunk Driving?

State Drunk Driving Table - Information about drunk driving laws and penalties in each state.

Drugs other than alcohol - Different types of drug affect your skills in different ways

Alcohol: Administrative License Suspension - Hundreds of state laws targeting alcohol-impaired driving were enacted during the early 1980s, and among those shown to be the most effective are administrative license suspension (ALS) laws.

DUI FAQ - Brief summary of the legal terms regarding driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Alcohol: Deterrence and Enforcement - A question and answer session.

Gaze Nystagmus

DWI Field Sobriety Testing: Fact and Fiction. Field sobriety testing for DWI is a crucial element in DWI prosecution and defense.

Nystagmus

Nystagmus Network

American Nystagmus Network

Drunk Driving Organizations

Century Council - Group funded by American distillers to fight drunk driving and underage drinking.

National Group Rides and Designated Drivers - Collegiate safe ride programs nationwide to prevent drunk-driving.

Auto Safety Group - Organization that works to improve highway safety by lobbying Congress to pass critical legislation, monitoring the Department of Transportation and more.

Citizens Against Drunk Driving - A Nevada grassroots non-profit organization dedicated to stopping the violent crime of driving under the influence and assisting innocent victims of this crime

Drinking Drivers Defense Network - National network of DUI/DWI attorneys, ways to avoid a DUI conviction, blood alcohol chart, myths about defending accused drunk drivers.

DWI Victims Panel - Panel of DUI victims share stories and explain how their lives have been impacted by drunk driving. Held regularly throughout Oregon and Washington, audience includes recent offenders, peace officers, and the ...

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. - National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. – is a voluntary health organization dedicated to fighting the Nation’s #1 health problem – alcoholism and drug addiction and the devastating consequences of alcohol and other drugs on individuals, families, and communities.

National Drunk Driving Defense Task Force - Lawyers who have successfully defended DUI and drunk driving cases and exhibit the desire, skill in defending drunk driving cases.

Sobriety Test Ruled a "Search"

The Oregon Supreme Court has ruled that a field sobriety test administered to a motorist constituted a "search." However, the court found that in this case the search was reasonable, as the officer giving the test had probable cause to suspect that the individual was driving under the influence (State v. Nagel, Ore. SupCt., No. S40605, Sept. 9, 1994, 56 CrL 1004).

Jeffrey Nagel was stopped by a police officer because one headlight was broken on Nagel's car. The officer suspected Nagel had been drinking and administered sobriety tests (counting backwards, walking toe to heel in a line, etc.). After Nagel failed several of the tests, he was arrested for driving under the influence. The court found that:

By requiring the defendant to perform a series of unusual maneuvers and acts, the officer was able to detect certain aspects of the defendant's physical and psychological condition that were not detectable through simple observation by any member of the public or a police officer located in a public place. ... Assuming that they [the sobriety tests] were [searches], however, probable cause and exigent circumstances existed.
Nagel argued that the tests constituted a 'search' and violated his right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.